November 01, 2024
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Wawa's standalone drive-thru store in Falls Township, Bucks County, closed this week after nearly four years. When the store opened, the company said it was testing the concept for potential expansion to other stores.
Wawa has closed the standalone drive-thru store that the company opened in Falls Township during the COVID-19 pandemic, when Wawa began testing the concept at a handful of locations.
The 1,800-square-foot store debuted in January 2021 next to an existing Wawa store and gas station at the intersection of West Trenton Avenue and Pine Grove Road. At the time, the company said it was experimenting with new service options for customers during a period when social distancing was still widely recommended.
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The standalone Wawa had a smaller menu offering coffee, hoagies and other quick service items. The drive-thru lane had room for about 10 cars.
Wawa still has dedicated drive-thru stores in Allentown and Largo, Florida, but the company has been reevaluating its overall drive-thru service.
Wawa's first drive-thru window — attached to a regular store — opened in December 2020 on Rancocas Road in Westampton, Burlington County. An employee at the Westampton store said Friday that the window has since transitioned into a "fly-thru" that's only used to fulfill orders placed on Wawa's mobile app.
At the time Wawa opened its standalone drive-thru store in Bucks County, the company had said it planned to open as many as 10.
Wawa did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the closure. Spokesperson Jennifer Wolf told Levittown Now the company is "constantly testing new concepts," but didn't say whether plans for other standalone drive-thru stores have been abandoned.
Last year, Wawa converted one of its Philadelphia stores in University City into a location with no products on its shelves. All items at that store are purchased using touch-screens or the Wawa app. In recent years, Wawa has closed multiple stores in Philadelphia because of poor performance, theft and security concerns.
In September, the company also announced plans for its first travel center location to open in North Carolina. The 8,400-square-foot store will be much larger than its typical gas stations. It's expected to have a total of 26 fuel lanes, including six diesel lanes for trucks. It also will have truck parking, a weigh station and a pet relief area. That store will open near Fayetteville, just off Interstate 95, some time next year.
Wawa has been in the midst of a major expansion. The company has about 1,070 stores across eight states and Washington, D.C. and it plans to open up to 40 stores in Central Pennsylvania, entering territory that's mostly served by rival convenience chain Sheetz.
Last month, a new survey by the American Customer Satisfaction Index found that Wawa was rated the best convenience store chain in the United States. The Delaware County-based chain was ranked ahead of QuikTrip, Buc-ee's, Murphy USA, Casey's General Stores and Sheetz in areas including food and coffee quality, reliability of store apps, speed to checkout, and layout and cleanliness.
