Having spent my entire life before college in the Northeast, Wawa is a staple of mine.
After getting to the University of Kentucky in 2022, I quickly found there is no Wawa equivalent here… and no, Buc-ee’s does not count. Traveling home, whether driving or flying, the first thing I do is stop at Wawa right off of the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
Wawa has hundreds of locations in the Northeast after first opening in the 1960s, according to the store. In 2012, they expanded to the Southern region with locations in Florida. Now, in 2025, they are working to move west to Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky.
It’s hard to explain why Northeasterners, namely Philadelphians and Jersey Shore-goers, are such big Wawa fans. It is one of those situations where you genuinely can only understand once you see it for yourself.
In an attempt to describe the excellence that is Wawa, ask yourself these questions: Where do you go for a cup of coffee to get your day going? Starbucks or Einstein Bros. Bagels? How about a bakery donut? Probably Dunkin’ or Parlour Doughnuts right?
Where would you go when you want a sandwich? Subway or Firehouse Subs if you’re looking for a sub. Drake’s Come Play for more of a bar food-style sandwich maybe.
Now think snacks. What about when you want a bag of chips to snack on or a soda? Probably just a gas station right? Same when you need to satisfy your sweet tooth I assume.
What about a late-night snack? And I’m talking late-night. At 3 a.m. when everything’s closed, you sadly have no choice but to go to bed wishing you had a snack in your hand right now.
You’re probably hungry now, aren’t you? Of course we have all of these places scattered near campus, but what if I told you there was one place that had it all? Wawa.
Wawa is one of those places that I can never fully explain in minimal words, because it simply has everything. It’s not a sit down restaurant, though a few locations in Washington D.C. and Philadelphia have tables and chairs, but you can order full meals at any time of the day.
To say it’s just a gas station, like many try to, minimizes the variety and quality of food options present at any time of the day.
For breakfast, Sizzlis are many people’s go-to – Wawa’s signature breakfast sandwiches. You can go for a typical bacon, egg and cheese on bagel, or you can have a little fun with it and go for a sausage, egg and cheese on french toast – yes, you read that right, french toast.
Obviously, I am a Wawa advocate, otherwise you would not be reading my words right now, but don’t just take it from me. Former Philadelphia Eagles Center, Jason Kelce and his wife Kylie Kelce have a long tethered history with Wawa.
Kylie directed a commercial featuring Jason in 2024 to promote Hoagiefest. Hoagiefest, according to Wawa, is an annual mid-summer, month-long event where all hoagies are discounted and special hoagies are offered for a limited time.
Beginning in 2008, Hoagiefest has become a huge part of Wawa’s culture with spin offs and plays on words emerging over time such as ‘Schwarberfest’ which is tied to the Philadelphia Phillies left fielder Kyle Schwarber.
Being from the Northeast and being a life-long Jersey Shore-goer, I can go on and on about how great Wawa is and my excitement over it finally coming to Kentucky, but you’ll just have to see for yourself why no one can fully encapsulate what Wawa really is.
