When I heard (okay, saw, because I drive by it just about every day) that Wawa was coming to…read moreJ-Town, I was excited. Wawa is one of those near-mythical places that has a huge reputation, but I've never lived near one.
Located at the corner of Taylorsville Road and Sweeney Lane, Wawa is easy to find. Just look for the brightly lit building with the white canopy and 14, yes, FOURTEEN gas pumps.
Since I'd heard that Wawa is known for its coffee, that was the main reason for my visit. What I wasn't expecting was just how much there really is inside. It's one of those "How did they fit all that in this space?" kind of places.
One entire wall is dedicated to beverages. Not the canned-and-bottled kind, because that's a different wall. This one is devoted to self-serve coffee, iced coffee, soft drinks, and ICEE®. You can also order what my wife calls "fancy coffee." You know: espresso, lattes, and assorted beverages with significantly more syllables than "coffee."
And Wawa certainly isn't limited to drinks.
There are plenty of made-to-order foods available, including breakfast sandwiches, lunch and dinner items, and snacks. I noticed a breakfast burrito that is, 100%, on my radar for my next visit.
The ordering process goes something like this:
Go to one of the ordering kiosks and choose what you want. You can customize your order like nobody's business. Seriously. Who knew there were so many options?
You'll get a printed ticket with an order number. Take that ticket to the cashier, where it gets scanned and you pay. Then head back toward the in-store beverage/food counter and wait for that order number, which I just told you to remember, to be called.
Happiness ensues.
The "other" beverage wall is an entire refrigerated section filled with cans and bottles of soft drinks, juices, energy drinks, and water. If you can't find what you're looking for, do you really need it?
There are also several aisles of snacks, along with coolers stocked with Grab & Go foods.
Every employee I interacted with was genuinely friendly, and the store was immaculately clean. Granted, it's brand new, so...yeah. But still, everything was well stocked, organized, and running smoothly.
I honestly didn't know what to expect when I walked into Wawa.
Now that I've visited, I think it's earned a spot in my morning coffee rotation. It's close to home, the service is fast, and I really like the variety of options.
Oh...and by the way, they're open 24 hours...
And that breakfast burrito and I have unfinished business.