Cooper City goes gaga over Wawa

BY KENDYL COUNTS

With hoagies that customers say rival Publix and coffee that contests Starbucks, Wawa stores made their way down the east coast and right into the Cowboys’ backyard this past summer.

The chain made its highly anticipated Stirling Road debut on July 27. With promises of prizes for the first hundred customers, $1.99 gasoline and free coffee for ten days, Wawa’s clientele has filled the parking lot and moved onto a nearby gravel lot.

A fast food restaurant, convenience store and gas station hybrid, the store was well-loved by many South Floridians yet accessible to few. The business, which is native to Pennsylvania, was originally a dairy farm and gets its name from the rural area in which it was conceived. Today, located primarily in New Jersey, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Virginia and Central Florida, prior visitation to the store by CCHS students was generally reserved for road trips or school competitions.

“At FSPA States in Orlando, I lived on Wawa,” junior Andrew Rothschild said. “It’s good to see them expanding to new areas and people. I personally loved it, and I hope everyone else will too.”

Wawa is known for its varied menu and quick service – all within a convenient distance from the gas pump. Customers can place their order with just the tap of a screen and receive their warm quesadilla or frosty “Flurricane” in mere minutes. Though it might not be an obvious choice, the gas station has quickly become a popular hangout for millennials thanks to the speedy preparation time and the minimization of face-to-face interaction.

“I love Wawa for so many reasons,” senior Gaby Garcia said. “Not only is it a gas station, but it’s like a mini cafe that’s so clean and organized with great customer service. You would never think a gas station would have good food, but they do.”

Most Wawa stores are open 24 hours a day, and the Davie location is no exception. So whether it’s to go on a coffee run before the bell rings or a slushie search at midnight, the lights are just about always on.

Though to many it seems like an act of kindness that Wawa rarely shuts its doors, the company engages in legitimate philanthropy as well. To round out its grand opening festivities, the store announced that it would be donating a portion of its hoagie sales to local food bank Feeding South Florida.

Also getting involved in the action, another Wawa opened on the same day in Palm Beach, providing the same celebratory deals and donations as the Davie location. The chain appears to be continuing to migrate down south, as a Miami Herald article writes that Miami Gardens will be the host of a new Wawa off Northwest 27th Avenue and 183rd Street.

Photo courtesy of  the Miami Herald