CINCINNATI (Cincinnati Business Courier) – The line started in the early hours of the morning April 16, growing out the door and snaking into the parking lot. It stayed that way for the next 12 hours.
Patrons waiting to get inside talked excitedly with each other, discussing menu items and their potential order. This scene wasn’t from the latest hot spot to open in Over-the-Rhine. It’s a Wawa gas station, the first in Ohio, that opened in Liberty Township. Yes, a gas station.
But Wawa isn’t any gas station. The Philadelphia-area convenience store giant has a cult following, thanks in large part to its cheap, award-winning coffees and food options, including its famous made-to-order hoagies, breakfast sandwiches and Snack & Go wraps. Plus, its stores are known for being clean and full of friendly employees.
The Liberty Township location is the opening salvo of an aggressive expansion plan from the superpremium c-store, an expansion that knocks on the back door of hometown giant United Dairy Farmers. Wawa plans to open at least eight locations in Greater Cincinnati by the end of 2025, with additional Indiana and Kentucky locations in the works. Over the next decade, Wawa plans to open 50 stores in Ohio, investing more than $375 million.
Read the full story from the Cincinnati Business Courier.
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