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How Wawa is stealing customers from Wendy’s, Burger King and Starbucks
One of America’s largest convenience store chains, Wawa, boasts a cult-like following, inspiring merch, tattoos, songs and even marriage proposals.
Now Wawa is hoping to expand that powerful customer loyalty found in its core markets into the Midwest and South.
The company — with deep roots in Philadelphia and South Jersey — has built a reputation on fresh, high-quality food and beverages — items not typically associated with gas stations. Its signature hoagies, Sizzli sandwiches and popular limited-time offers such as the Thanksgiving-inspired “Gobbler,” have made Wawa a destination.
As one customer, Patricia Haywood-Jones, put it during a recent visit to a Media, Pennsylvania, location, “I don’t even get gas. I get food.”
A Wawa employee makes a hoagie in Media, Pennsylvania.
Natalie Rice
Wawa’s customer loyalty has proven resilient even as inflation impacts Americans’ spending.
Data analytics firm Technomic found Wawa’s prices rose on average 21.7% between the second quarter of 2019 and the second quarter of 2025 (in line with Starbucks, up 21.8%, and McDonald’s, up 18.5%). Still, customers who frequent quick-service chains like Burger King, Wendy’s and Starbucks have been choosing Wawa more often since 2023, according to Indagari, which tracks credit and debit card spending.
One clear category is the winner: breakfast. Morning meal traffic increased by 5% at food-forward convenience stores like Wawa year-over-year in August, while it grew only 1% at quick-service restaurants, according to data from Circana.
Wawa CEO Chris Gheysens attributed that momentum to the store’s “secret sauce.”
“Wawa has all those options and a service model that really is just a little bit better. People know each other by name, people create this warm environment,” he said.
This strategy underpins a massive expansion: Wawa has already boosted its footprint from 6 states in 2023 to 12 today (plus Washington, D.C.). The company plans to reach 1,700 locations by 2030.
Unlike other convenience stores such as 7-Eleven and Casey’s, Wawa is scaling organically without mergers and acquisitions. Since announcing its major expansion plan, Wawa’s estimated annual revenue grew by approximately $4 billion, to $18.8 billion as of 2024, according to PitchBook.
But as Wawa moves into new territory, it will come up against new challengers, namely established, hyperlocal convenience stores with their own loyal fanbases.
Watch this video above to learn more.
