[EXCLUSIVE] Wawa Zeros in on First Georgia Location

Wawa, the popular chain of convenience stores and gas stations which announced plans this past October to enter the Georgia market, seems to have secured its first location in the state.  Newly released planning documents indicate a new Wawa is planned for 1810 S. Georgia Parkway W in Waycross, about four hours south of Atlanta and about ninety minutes north of Jacksonville.  The property Wawa would occupy is currently home to Cavagnaro's, a local steak and seafood restaurant.  

According to the documents, the new Wawa convenience store would be about 5,500 square feet with 16 fueling spaces on a roughly 2.29 acre parcel.  By these metrics, this new Wawa would be comparable in size and fuel offerings to that of a typical RaceTrac or QuikTrip.  Buc-ee's however, the Texas-based chain which entered the Georgia market in late 2020, operates "superstores," and their Warner Robins location spans 53,000 square feet and includes 116 fueling spaces on 22 acres. 

Wawa, a pioneer in convenience store food offerings, features a robust selection of made-to-order meals including breakfast, lunch and dinner selections.  The chain, based in Chester Heights, Pennsylvania in Greater Philadelphia, is perhaps most known for their hoagies but also offers cheesesteaks, deli sandwiches, salads, bowls and breakfast burritos, among other options.  

In their release this past October, Wawa indicated its first Georgia store would open in 2024 with the potential for up to 20 additional stores in the market in the years to come.  The entrance into Georgia is expected to be centered on south and coastal Georgia with no metro Atlanta units yet.    The company also in 2022 announced plans to expand into the Florida Panhandle and south Alabama in 2024, Nashville in 2025 and Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky "sometime after 2025." 

Earlier this month the company revealed the first eight of its Florida Panhandle/South Alabama stores including those planned for Pensacola, FL (2), Mobile, AL (2), Daphne, AL, Fairhope, AL (2), and Robertsdale, AL.  

In Florida, a market Wawa entered in July 2012 with a location in Orlando near SeaWorld, the company expects to open another sixteen locations by this summer, including one in Boynton Beach that should open in the coming days and mark the chain's 250th unit in the state.  Wawa will likely open its 1,000th overall store later this year in one of its existing markets including those across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Florida and Washington, D.C.  

Have you ever been to a Wawa?  What convenience store do you think offers the best food?  Where else in Georgia would you like to see Wawa open?

Please share your thoughts below.