The closest Wawa (in travel time) to where I live in New Jersey is 14.3 miles south. That's an inconvenient distance to travel to experience what has become my family's favorite convenience store.
A recent trip down to the shore area (60 miles south) provided a case in point. Given the option of sitting down to lunch at a restaurant enjoyed by all, almost all in the car voted to go to Wawa instead. We weren't alone as the parking lot was filled with cars from people grabbing lunch on the go, while just across the street a competitive convenience store's lot was virtually empty.
So having established our (my) fondness for Wawa, it was with some disappointment that I came across reports recently that the chain was moving southward to open locations in the Washington, D.C. market. It's not that I begrudge residents of that area the wonderfulness that is Wawa, but come on — why can't the chain build some stores, heck one store, near (preferably in) the 07016 zip code?
It's not that other convenience stores don't do a decent job. We've actually got several in the area that are quite good, but they're just not Wawa. The sandwiches have similar ingredients, but they don't taste the same. The fountain drink options fall short, too. Red velvet cupcakes? Forget about it — you won't find them in a c-store not named Wawa.