Largest Buc-ee's Opens in Texas

Gas stations & convenience stores (AM/PM, 7-Eleven, etc.)
pseudo3d
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Re: Largest Buc-ee's Opens in Texas

Post by pseudo3d »

mbz321 wrote: June 17th, 2024, 7:03 pm They have ordering kiosks for a few select made-to-order items, but it was not as extensive as you would expect (coming from Wawa country, a bit underwhelming, but I can understand that staffing that sort of setup would be a nightmare) I think it was maybe french fries and a wrap or two as an option.
The menu was unfortunately cut way down during COVID. There was a good fish taco, pastrami reuben, and a bunch more items. It was a really extensive cut, like cutting at least half the menu.
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Re: Largest Buc-ee's Opens in Texas

Post by storewanderer »

pseudo3d wrote: June 17th, 2024, 8:58 pm
mbz321 wrote: June 17th, 2024, 7:03 pm They have ordering kiosks for a few select made-to-order items, but it was not as extensive as you would expect (coming from Wawa country, a bit underwhelming, but I can understand that staffing that sort of setup would be a nightmare) I think it was maybe french fries and a wrap or two as an option.
The menu was unfortunately cut way down during COVID. There was a good fish taco, pastrami reuben, and a bunch more items. It was a really extensive cut, like cutting at least half the menu.
It appears their pricing also got a lot higher...
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Re: Largest Buc-ee's Opens in Texas

Post by wnetmacman »

storewanderer wrote: June 18th, 2024, 12:07 am It appears their pricing also got a lot higher...
Not really......

Being a destination, they know they can charge more. I have been both before and since COVID. The pricing is a little higher now, but not out of line with the changes worldwide. They do have a smaller selection in the prepared foods, but it was largely eliminating what did not sell.

Buc-ee's is not any more immune to inflation than any other business. As some of you closer to my age or older will remember, the 70's counterpart Stuckey's (which I frequently refer to in any discussion of Buc-ee's) sold lots of crap in tiny stores at overinflated prices. And don't even mention the gas prices!
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Re: Largest Buc-ee's Opens in Texas

Post by Brian Lutz »

pseudo3d wrote: June 17th, 2024, 8:58 pm
mbz321 wrote: June 17th, 2024, 7:03 pm They have ordering kiosks for a few select made-to-order items, but it was not as extensive as you would expect (coming from Wawa country, a bit underwhelming, but I can understand that staffing that sort of setup would be a nightmare) I think it was maybe french fries and a wrap or two as an option.
The menu was unfortunately cut way down during COVID. There was a good fish taco, pastrami reuben, and a bunch more items. It was a really extensive cut, like cutting at least half the menu.
On our recent roadtrip we stopped at the Florence SC Buc-ee's and I saw the menu kiosks there had literally only a single menu item (a chicken strip basket) on them. I'm not sure why they'd even bother with menu kiosks at that point.

Also, on the way back up I-95 in Florida we made a brief stop at the Daytona Beach Buc-ee's, and even by Buc-ee's standard the place was a total madhouse, with traffic backed up almost to the freeway on the northbound offramp We filled up on gas, but opted not to buy anything in the store because of the long checkout lines. There seems to be a focus on adding more locations to the I-95 corridor with a location in Brunswick GA under construction now and a location reportedly in the works for Fort Pierce Florida, which would result in 3 locations along I-95 in Florida.
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Re: Largest Buc-ee's Opens in Texas

Post by storewanderer »

Brian Lutz wrote: February 2nd, 2025, 12:19 pm
pseudo3d wrote: June 17th, 2024, 8:58 pm
mbz321 wrote: June 17th, 2024, 7:03 pm They have ordering kiosks for a few select made-to-order items, but it was not as extensive as you would expect (coming from Wawa country, a bit underwhelming, but I can understand that staffing that sort of setup would be a nightmare) I think it was maybe french fries and a wrap or two as an option.
The menu was unfortunately cut way down during COVID. There was a good fish taco, pastrami reuben, and a bunch more items. It was a really extensive cut, like cutting at least half the menu.
On our recent roadtrip we stopped at the Florence SC Buc-ee's and I saw the menu kiosks there had literally only a single menu item (a chicken strip basket) on them. I'm not sure why they'd even bother with menu kiosks at that point.

Also, on the way back up I-95 in Florida we made a brief stop at the Daytona Beach Buc-ee's, and even by Buc-ee's standard the place was a total madhouse, with traffic backed up almost to the freeway on the northbound offramp We filled up on gas, but opted not to buy anything in the store because of the long checkout lines. There seems to be a focus on adding more locations to the I-95 corridor with a location in Brunswick GA under construction now and a location reportedly in the works for Fort Pierce Florida, which would result in 3 locations along I-95 in Florida.
I wonder how much these places are hurting the fast food industry...
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Re: Largest Buc-ee's Opens in Texas

Post by HoustonRetail »

storewanderer wrote: February 2nd, 2025, 12:24 pm
Brian Lutz wrote: February 2nd, 2025, 12:19 pm
pseudo3d wrote: June 17th, 2024, 8:58 pm

The menu was unfortunately cut way down during COVID. There was a good fish taco, pastrami reuben, and a bunch more items. It was a really extensive cut, like cutting at least half the menu.
On our recent roadtrip we stopped at the Florence SC Buc-ee's and I saw the menu kiosks there had literally only a single menu item (a chicken strip basket) on them. I'm not sure why they'd even bother with menu kiosks at that point.

Also, on the way back up I-95 in Florida we made a brief stop at the Daytona Beach Buc-ee's, and even by Buc-ee's standard the place was a total madhouse, with traffic backed up almost to the freeway on the northbound offramp We filled up on gas, but opted not to buy anything in the store because of the long checkout lines. There seems to be a focus on adding more locations to the I-95 corridor with a location in Brunswick GA under construction now and a location reportedly in the works for Fort Pierce Florida, which would result in 3 locations along I-95 in Florida.
I wonder how much these places are hurting the fast food industry...
At least for the locations down here, they're not killing off many competitors. Buc-ee's builds either suburban or rural travel centers. The suburban ones tend to be significant traffic draws, so fast food and retail pop up around them. The rural ones don't do this. However, there are some locations where competing travel centers have opened up. Even with the new grab-and-go setup, Buc-ee's isn't really what I'd consider fast food. They tried a drive-thru coffee concept briefly and planned drive-thru food, but that never went anywhere.
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Re: Largest Buc-ee's Opens in Texas

Post by Brian Lutz »

Buc-ee's doesn't really seem to be the type of place where you would go for a meal. Sure you can get one there, but most of the emphasis seems to be on snacks and treats like the fudge, jerky, candy and other such items, and they provide no seating anywhere. If you're looking for actual food you'll probably have better options somewhere like a QuikTrip, Wawa, Sheetz or Maverik. Out of those Sheetz seems to be the one that takes it the most seriously by offering drive thru windows and designated seating areas, but I've been unimpressed with the food I've had there. I like the food offerings at QT better but the only seating they seem to offer is outdoors, so we often have to eat in the car if we stop there. The food I've had at Maverik is also generally good but they offer no seating unless you go to one of the highway locations with a co-branded restaurant.

Compared to those, Buc-ee's seems to be somewhere you stop to get the kids a snack which they will then eat while you drive.
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Re: Largest Buc-ee's Opens in Texas

Post by wnetmacman »

Brian Lutz wrote: February 3rd, 2025, 10:05 am Buc-ee's doesn't really seem to be the type of place where you would go for a meal. Sure you can get one there, but most of the emphasis seems to be on snacks and treats like the fudge, jerky, candy and other such items, and they provide no seating anywhere. If you're looking for actual food you'll probably have better options somewhere like a QuikTrip, Wawa, Sheetz or Maverik. Out of those Sheetz seems to be the one that takes it the most seriously by offering drive thru windows and designated seating areas, but I've been unimpressed with the food I've had there. I like the food offerings at QT better but the only seating they seem to offer is outdoors, so we often have to eat in the car if we stop there. The food I've had at Maverik is also generally good but they offer no seating unless you go to one of the highway locations with a co-branded restaurant.

Compared to those, Buc-ee's seems to be somewhere you stop to get the kids a snack which they will then eat while you drive.
To be honest, Buc-ee's is the place that if they had beds, some people wouldn't leave. Ever.

You can get barbecue in the middle, hamburgers and more from the counter, kolaches and other pastries from the bakery, plus clean restrooms.

The food they sell rivals most other restaurants.
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