Wawa’s move to Sheetz territory could stoke the ‘most heated food rivalry in the country’

Preliminary plans appear to be in the works to bring Wawa to Centre County. Although the move is far from a certainty, expansion to central Pennsylvania could be a notable first for the beloved convenience store chain.

Wawa currently operates nearly 1,000 stores up and down the East Coast, but a new location near State College would put the company in what many consider the territory of Sheetz, another beloved Pennsylvania-based convenience store chain.

Fans of both chains have long engaged in lighthearted debates over the superior establishment, but those discussions could come to a head if Wawa and Sheetz wind up crossing paths in Centre County.

Here’s what you should know about convenience store chains in Pennsylvania and beyond.

Pennsylvania’s convenience store showdown

Wawa can trace its roots as a convenience store back to 1964, but since then, it’s opened approximately 950 locations spread between Pennsylvania, mid-Atlantic states like Delaware, Maryland and Virginia and Florida. The company has also reportedly formed plans to expand Wawa locations farther west, with prospective openings lined up for Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana, among other locations.

Though Wawa’s convenience store empire stretches across much of the East Coast, it’s never moved past Harrisburg, but a location near the capital city is also reportedly in the works. A location in Centre County would, by far, mark the farthest west Wawa has gone in the commonwealth.

Sheetz, based out of Altoona and founded in 1952, has dominated most Wawa-free areas of Pennsylvania over the past few decades. The chain operates approximately 650 locations across the Keystone State, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina and Maryland, according to its website.

Sheetz currently dominates the local market with 10 locations in Centre County, including one that sits across the street from the proposed Benner Township Wawa.

Rutter’s, another locally popular convenience store chain, operates a franchise in Bellefonte and plans to construct a second Centre County establishment on Blue Course Drive in State College.

According to Wawa’s website, its location in East Petersburg on the outskirts of Lancaster marks the farthest west the chain operates a store in Pennsylvania as of March. Sheetz’s empire has already operated in what some might consider Wawa’s territory thanks to open locations near Reading, Morgantown and Exeter, among other southeastern Pennsylvania locales.

Sheetz and Wawa share many similarities. While Wawa places a focus on coffee and hoagies to pair with a more limited menu, both establishments offer made-to-order sandwiches on top of other convenience store goods, like snack foods and fountain drinks. Sheetz once stood out for its more traditional fried foods, but Wawa has recently introduced chicken sandwiches, quesadillas and burgers, among other offerings, to throw its hat in the ring.

Wawa brought in approximately $14.9 billion across its most recent fiscal year, Forbes said in 2022. Sheetz followed with $11.7 billion in revenue, more than doubling its $5.6 billion figure from the previous year.

In Pennsylvania, these chains are at odds in jest — Wawa and Sheetz maintain what was once called “the most heated food rivalry in the country” — but most of the debate is in fans’ heads. As recently as 2020, the two companies teamed up to help provide emergency food bank relief amid the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.

Their rivalry has produced long-running entertainment (and even an in-progress, fan-made documentary) for Pennsylvanians over the years, further building the commonwealth up as one of the nation’s convenience store capitals.

PA ranks among nation’s top convenience store destinations

With rivalries across the commonwealth, it’s no surprise Pennsylvania ranks as one of the nation’s premier destinations for convenience stores.

According to the National Association of Convenience Stores, Pennsylvania is home to the ninth-most convenience stores in the U.S., with 4,278 establishments within its borders, according to NACS data updated through January.

Pennsylvania’s total falls far behind the nation’s leaders but remains in close competition with a few of its neighbors. Texas, with approximately 16,018 convenience stores, boasts about 10% of all stores in the country, while California trails with about 12,000. Pennsylvania falls behind Ohio (5,673) and Michigan (4,879), but leads Illinois (4,666) to round out the top 10. Alaska boasts the fewest stores of any state with just 190.

Here’s a full look at the 10 states with the most convenience stores, according to the NACS:

1. Texas (16,018)
2. California (12,000)
3. Florida (9,596)
4. New York (7,917)
5. Georgia (6,719)
6. North Carolina (5,749)
7. Ohio (5,673)
8. Michigan (4,879)
9. Pennsylvania (4,728)
10. Illinois (4,666)

With approximately 334.2 million people in the U.S., the NACS estimates there is one convenience store for every 2,225 Americans. Using Pennsylvania’s population estimate from the 2020 U.S. Census, there’s about one convenience store in the commonwealth for every 2,742 Pennsylvanians.

This story was originally published March 7, 2023 at 1:00 PM.

Matt DiSanto

Centre Daily Times

814-231-4616

Matt is a 2022 Penn State graduate. Before arriving at the Centre Daily Times, he served as Onward State’s managing editor and a general assignment reporter at StateCollege.com. Support my work with a digital subscription