Comment by radcon | Hacker News Reader

Comment by radcon | Hacker News Reader

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I've noticed a similar thing happening with prepared food. If there are Wawa stores in an area, there usually aren't as many sandwich or salad places nearby as you'd expect. Where I work, your options are basically Wawa or bottom-tier fast-food chains (McDonald's, Taco Bell, etc.). I really wish there were more health-oriented quick-service options (even a Chipotle would be nice), but I don't think they can compete against a place like Wawa since it's good enough for the vast majority of people.

For people scratching their heads wondering what the heck Wawa is, I have no idea what the West Coast equivalent would be. Sheetz is another similar chain on the East Coast, if that rings any bells...

Wawa was a grocery chain long before they were a gas station, and I know they are imagining a future without the ICE. It's one of the ways they'll crush the BPs and Exxon that are first and foremost gas stations.

I live in New England and have never heard of Wawa or Sheetz.

Wawa is a chain of large convenience stores, mostly in the Mid-Atlantic region. They typically have a sandwich counter inside, which I think is most comparable to having an in-store Subway.

Ask someone from Pennsylvania or New Jersey what they think of Wawa. In my experience, their eyes generally light up and they start raving in a way that most people don't talk about a gas station convenience store.

It's because they have real food, whereas most gas station convenience stores only sell junk.

24 hours a day, you can get hot soup, quesadillas, sandwiches, salads, burritos, etc. in a matter of minutes for a reasonable price. There's really nothing else like it.

Sounds like a 24-hour diner.

Except Wawa is explicitly take-away (there are no seats), it's part of a gas station, and they're everywhere.

More like convenience store with a deli counter, similar to some of the larger Cumberland Farms.

It's basically Cumberland Farms.

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