7 Fun Facts about Wawa That May Be New to You ...

A fun fact about Wawa is that the company aims for quality, not quantity. Wawa operates in six states: Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and Florida. There are a total of 645 stores found in those six states with a whopping 22,000 employees. At a recent luncheon with the Central Bucks Chamber of Commerce, Wawa president and CEO Chris Gheysens talked about the company’s aim to assure quality in each Wawa location rather than broad expansion. I think it’s admirable that Wawa wants to make its convenience stores something worth visiting.

Sure there are only 645 Wawa stores, but don’t let that seemingly small number distract you. Wawa accounts for 1.8 percent of the fuel sold within the United States. What’s more, they are the seventh largest retailer of coffee in the country according to a recent article about the company published by David Campbell. Isn’t that impressive? I sure think so!

Wawa is known and celebrated for their hoagies. You can find tweets and other social media comments about the delicious food at Wawa. It’s quality fast food. Wawa offers 32 original hoagies along with the ability to customize your order with touch-screens.

Wawa has its own dairy farm which allows the convenience store to offer its own brand of various treats. I never realized that Wawa has its own brand of ice cream and milk before now. As soon as I learned about this fun fact I found myself running over to the local Wawa and checking it out for myself. You can also buy Wawa iced tea, orange juice, soda and more.

Most Wawa stores are open 24/7 which allows for convenience and consistency. The company aims to “fulfill lives, every day.” My friends and I love running to Wawa late at night when we’re craving mac and cheese or one of their signature hoagies. Everyone in my area jokes that when Wawa closes, something serious is going on. A few years ago when we were hit with Hurricane Sandy, friends of mine still went out to Wawa during the storm. It took them twice as long to get there due to flooding and other difficulties, but they were excited to get to their Wawa. When our local Wawa stores eventually closed due to the severe conditions, everyone on my Facebook newsfeed were finally struck with the severity of the hurricane.

Wawa is designed for convenience. Don Steinberg wrote in the Philadelphia magazine, “Starbucks built its cult following by making its stores inviting places to linger for an hour; Wawa stays popular by getting everyone the hell out.” I never really thought about the interior design of Wawa until I took a psychology class. Malls to supermarkets to Wawa stores are specifically arranged for a reason. Wawa works to get you in and out so that you can grab your coffee and breakfast on your way to work without worrying about being late.

Wawa welcomes the community. But it does more than serve as the place to hold doors for your peers and do other kind deeds, Wawa gives back. The company supports AIDS and cancer research along with ending domestic/sexual violence and hunger. Their website talks about fundraising opportunities to support these causes in addition to offering grants to help advance the progress in making the community a better place. I can’t help but admire Wawa’s efforts to give back.

Whether you run to Wawa once a week or three times a day, I think it’s interesting to learn fun facts about a place that you visit often. You can even consider yourself lucky if you have a Wawa in driving distance and may go out to grab a hoagie ‘just because.’ What is your favorite part of Wawa? How often do you go?