Audience members made raucous noise with their red and orange “Wawa” stamped handclappers. Camye Edwards, sitting in the corner of the conference room, could be heard by all.
Edwards was among dozens of residents, nonprofit leaders and elected officials who were the first to meet and greet Wawa leadership during a Community Partnership Event at the AC Hotel by Marriott, followed by a ground breaking ceremony at one of several locations coming to Tallahassee.
She couldn’t hide her excitement. When traveling, the Tallahassee native hunts down Wawa stores and buys dozens of flavored teas and hoagie sandwiches to satisfy her cravings.
“I’ve never had a bad experience in Wawa, and the food is so fresh,” said Edwards, director of prevention and outreach at Care Point in Tallahassee. “Some people would think, ‘Oh, it’s just a gas station.’ No, it’s a restaurant that happens to sell gas.”
Anticipation for the Wawa’s introduction to the market has been brewing for months following coverage of potential locations in the Tallahassee Democrat.
Wawa officials gathered at one location: the corner of Blair Stone and Miccosukee roads. The convenience store chain plans to simultaneously debut the first wave of Wawa stores in Tallahassee by early 2025.
Four others are under contract:
- Capital Circle Northwest and Hartsfield Road,
- Capital Circle S.E. and St. Augustine Road,
- Thomasville and Maclay roads
- and Capital Circle S.W. and Woodville Highway.
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In addition, Tallahassee International Airport and Wawa are in negotiations regarding a 15-year lease agreement so the company can build a store on a 3.3 acre airport parcel at Capital Circle Southwest and Springhill Road.
“The science of site selection revolves around some basic things that a lot of other retailers do: population within four minutes, cars on the corner,” said Wawa President Brian Schaller, in an interview with the Democrat. “We want to get the best real estate, and it starts there.”
No matter the location, Edwards said she plans to be a frequent customer.
Before the official event began, she met Schaller and revealed her deep love for the convenience store chain which boasts more than 270 Florida locations and growing.
“Wawa has a standard,” she told him. “When you see one Wawa, for the most part, it’s the same.”
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In a private conversation, Schaller listened and asked questions. It was an opportunity to engage with a doting customer who knew the brand, its products and services.
One question, in particular, centered around how Wawa could improve its customer experience. Edwards didn’t have much to offer, other than a minor gripe about how some of her favorite teas aren’t available year round.
The question was the foundation of Wawa’s ongoing fact-founding mission to be customer-centric and empower its 45,000 employees, particularly front-line associates, to be take ownership of the customer experience through its servant leadership model.
“We really take that seriously,” Schaller said. “It’s about the four-minute trip into the store, where we think people hear the music, see smiles, get maybe good products, and they walk out feeling better than when they walked in.”
He said the goal is “speed, quality and friendliness.”
Wawa fandom hits Tallahassee, company pledges community support
Once the event began, Schaller shared the company’s origins as an iron foundry in New Jersey in 1803 and its evolution from textiles to dairy farming. The first stores opened 60 years ago.
He talked about what the company calls “goose bump” moments: examples of how Wawa connects with its loyal customers.
Wawa coffee sent overseas to military bases. A couple’s wedding vows outside a Wawa store. Super fans flashing permanent ink of Wawa-inspired tattoos, including the iconic flying Canada goose (Wawa is the Lenni Lenape Native American name for a Canada Goose). A group of friends gathered every Thanksgiving on the grassy lawn of a Wawa store.
“We can’t explain this. We have a bond with our customers,” said Schaller, adding the company serves two million customers daily. “But what we can explain is that it starts with our associates.”
Erica Page sat among the audience, listening. She understood the connection. She grew up in Philadelphia and she’d often pop into a Wawa store when she needed a bite or a snack. It never disappointed, she said. After moving to Tallahassee in 2005, the Florida State alumnae wouldn’t pass up a visit to Wawa when home.
When word got out about Wawa coming to Tallahassee, Page’s phone lit up with calls and text messages from thrilled family and friends.
“It’s something that I missed most when I moved here for college. I was just craving it all the time,” said Page, adding her go-to favorite was a meatball sandwich with pepperoni and garlic aioli sauce and a bag of salt and pepper chips.
She described it as a “community centerpiece,” where customers can “always get good food … it’s welcoming, it’s inviting and there’s lots of variety.”
In addition to its cult-like fandom, the company has provided $150 million and in-kind support to nonprofits that support its target community areas of giving: health, hunger and heroes.
The Wawa Foundation provided $2,500 grants to the Second Harvest Food Bank of the Big Bend, Special Olympics Florida and the Capital Area Chapter of the American Red Cross.
“We believe it’s part of our mission to be part of the community for the good of the community and to benefit the community,” Schaller said. “Yes, we sell products … but we really thrive on people connections.”
Expansion plans for the Florida Panhandle revealed
Wawa has more than 1,040 stores operating in six states and Washington, D.C.
The Pennsylvania-based chain was ranked among the top 10 brands with a “winning strategy for 2023,” according to Placer.ai, which tracks retail foot traffic and provides location analytics.”
A Jan. 2023 article in Convenience Store News reported the ranking that shows overall foot traffic to Wawas was on the rise, with average visits per store growing across all seven states in the retailer’s footprint.
“The largest increases in average visits per store from July to November 2022, compared to the same time period in 2019, occurred at Wawa stores in New Jersey (up 48 percent), Delaware (up 42.2 percent) and Washington, D.C. (up 50.1 percent),” the article said. “The remaining states in Wawa’s operating area all saw average visit per store grow between 34.3 percent and 41.2 percent.”
Wawa has more than 270 stores in Florida and has plans to bring 40 new stores to the Florida Panhandle, including at least five in Tallahassee.
Schaller said the company has been eyeing North Florida for potential locations for 12 years, adding “we always wanted to come here.”
“We’ve been coming to the state Capitol, meeting with legislatiors,” Schaller said. “Every time we leave, some would say ‘You forgot about us. Why don’t you have stores here?'”
The chain began seriously scouting the capital city about four years ago. Population density was a large factor in determining where the company expands. Now, Schaller said, is a good time to round out the Florida footprint.
“We want to open five within the same year because the customer research tells us we’re most effective when we can intercept the customer from point A to point B, building the brand,” Schaller said. “From the Pensacola market to Tallahassee, we think this could be a 40-store market.”
Once opened, each store is slated to have roughly 35 employees per location. Each site has a projected $7-million construction price tag; $280 million for the Panhandle big picture projection for construction.
Elected officials at the Community Partnership Event praised the company for making an investment in Tallahassee and Leon County, particularly as the bicentennial anniversary is celebrated this year.
“We are celebrating 200 years of greatness here in Tallahassee, and part of that is obviously economic development and economic expansion,” Tallahassee Mayor John Dailey. “We welcome you with open arms. I promise you, we’ll be one of your favorite stores.”
Leon County Commission Chairwoman Carolyn Cummings said Wawa’s presence in Tallahassee is a moment of celebration.
“We are really looking forward to the partnership,” Cummings said. “Thank you for choosing our area … We look forward to all the economic benefits, and we look forward to all of the job creation.”
Contact Economic Development Reporter TaMaryn Waters at tlwaters@tallahassee.com and follow @TaMarynWaters on X.
