I Wawa, Wawa, Wonder

Think 7-11 or Circle K on steroids, with superior quality, and you have Wawa. A staple in the Mid- Atlantic region of the U.S., Wawa should be nationwide. Period.

From the coffee to the custom-made Subs (Oops, sorry- I’m still a southerner. I forget it’s “Hoagies” here), Wawa is the Disney World of convenience stores. According to Wikipedia, On April 16, 1964, Wawa Food Markets opened their first store in Folsum, PA.

But I won’t bore you nor myself with the details.

 

Hello, happiness.

Upon stepping into a Wawa, the first thing you notice is the space- lots of it. Now again, it is just a convenience store, with all of the usual necessities- snacks, groceries, toiletries, soft drinks, etc. But Wawa takes it to the highest level.

Coffee- the Wawa staple, like most convenience stores- gives more choices than I ever saw.

 

Coffee Canister Mania in the center of the picture.

About 10 or so different types of coffee, in canisters for an easy pour into your cup, or flavored coffees out of a machine- if you’re a coffee drinker, welcome to Nirvana. Then to the coffee accessory bar- where every kind of sweetener, flavored creamer, half gallons of every type of milk or half and half, etc. can be found.

Hoagies- Wawa has them. Now, I won’t tell you that the quality is up there with Primo Hoagies, or for my South Florida brethren, La Spada’s (which coincidently, originates from Philadelphia- and is still there), but I think they’re a step above the Subway class.

It’s how you order that’s so cool, too. Blew my mind the first time I walked into a Wawa for a su…. er, hoagie after a night of hanging out with my good pal Captain Morgan, and was directed to a touchscreen. From there, you can choose any hoagie they offer, then choose your condiments and toppings. Once you’ve entered your decision, the sandwich maker gets cracking, and in a few minutes you’re ready to dive in. Rock and roll.

 

I'll never have to eat an erroneous-placed pickle again.

The hot dogs are ball park-like. All fresh and seated in individual cardboard containers, in a see-through, heated glass warmer. Good stuff. When was the last time any of you actually ate a hot dog from 7-11?

Near the cash register, when you’re ready to pay for your gatherings, there’s another heated glass warmer, carrying my favorite Wawa breakfast food- The Sizzli. Sizzli’s are your basic Egg McMuffin®, but with a wider range of choices. Croissant, bagel, and now even a pancake as the outer holders, with egg, cheese, bacon, sausage or even pork roll (hello, Philly) as the meat and filling. Fresh, hot and I say just as good, if not better than the clown’s counterpart.

 

It's a beautiful thing... (sniff)

They also have fresh Philly-style pretzels.

Not bad, but not nearly as good as The Philly Pretzel Factory (for another blog). They’re not hot as they should be, but go home, throw it in the microwave for 30 seconds, and all is well. Wawa also has stuffed pretzels, with cheddar or cream cheese. Let’s just say they don’t suck.

If you’re ever in the Northeast, heed the slogan of this awesome store- “Gotta Hava Wawa”. You’ll see what I mean…..