I'm going to guess that if you didn't grow up in the Greater Philadelphia area you're not familiar with Wawa.
You might even go "Wawa? What's Wawa? Wah Wah Wah Wah..." -- basically what everyone did in our newsroom this morning when the Philadelphia-area natives pitched the Wawa groundbreaking as a news story. (This girl also sent a note to her digital team saying this story would trend, and lo and behold, it's trending today)
Wawa held a groundbreaking Tuesday morning to announce its first DC location at 1111 19th St. NW. They plan on opening five to 10 more locations in the DC region.
So why do you care about a convenience store chain opening in your neighborhood? According to WUSA9 reporter Stephanie Ramirez, it's not just a convenience store, it's Wawa. And I agree.
It's more of a fast-casual restaurant that offers convenience store options like chips, ice cream, candy, soda and gasoline (at some locations).
- Homemade rolls. The bread they use are fresh Amoroso’s rolls baked in-house daily. They are super soft and a classic Philly staple and go perfect with the store's sandwiches and hoagies.
- Speaking of hoagies: They have touch-screen machines where you can customize their deli options -- from hoagies (hot or cold), sandwiches, chicken, macaroni and cheese, meatballs, soups and more.
- Gobbler. So this sandwich gets it's own number because it's one of the best options ever. It's Thanksgiving on a hoagie roll. Turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing and anything else you want to add.
- Macaroni and cheese. I think people honestly go there just for this... It's a warm, ooey-gooey version of classic elbow macaroni and cheese and it's delightful.
- COFFEE. Wawa has amazing coffee. You have at least 10 choices any given day and even iced options from either the deli or the fountain drink area. Their coffee menu as detailed as Starbucks, but costs about 35 percent less.
- Iced Tea. I grew up on this stuff. Their iced tea is delicious and so refreshing, especially on a hot summer day.
- Breakfast sandwiches. Their famous Sizzlis make for an easy grab-and-go option.
- Frozen drinks and smoothies. From frozen lemonade in the summer to smoothies (with protein powder) --- you can customize your drink choices, too, at the deli.
- Soft pretzels. This is a Philadelphia area staple and will become a quick snack for you too.
- Hoagiefest. OK so this isn't a food item, but it's a food experience. Every summer, Wawa hosts Hoagiefest where you get deals on a featured hoagie week to week.
- Snackpacks: WAWA was the first to come up w/those little snack packs that has cheese, fruit and crackers.
- Grab-and-go: When you’re hungry for something, but don’t know what… you’ll find it at WAWA… salads, pre-made sandwiches, wraps, stuffed pretzels, Krispy Kremes… you name it, WAWA has it.
And in non-food related things:
- Cheap gasoline: Depending on the location, you can also get gasoline at certain Wawa locations. It's normally a cheaper option in the area.
- Surcharge-free ATMs: This is great when you're on the go and need some cash.
Fun fact about Wawa: The chain is celebrating 50 years this year. It's first store opened April 16, 1964 in Folsom, PA.
So Philly natives or other familiar with Wawa, what would you add to the list?
