When Buc-ee’s made its Virginia debut in Rockingham County on June 30, the atmosphere was more like the opening of a theme park than a c-store.
During a visit to the store’s grand opening, the line of cars to enter the parking lot stretched down the road and backed up the southbound offramp of Interstate 81. Workers shouting “fresh brisket on the board!” at the carving station in the center of the store were nearly drowned out by the din of hundreds of customers chatting and shopping. People took pictures in front of anything with the Buc-ee’s logo or name on it, from department signs to displays of branded merchandise
There’s no denying the allure of Buc-ee’s. Entire groups on social media are dedicated to swapping tips about rare merch and discussing visits to new sites. In Virginia, opening-day customers wore Buc-ee’s shirts from a variety of the company’s other locations, like fans at a concert donning merch from previous tours.
From those shirts to the brisket and the clean bathrooms to the hundred-plus fueling positions outside, Buc-ee’s has created a strong vision of what customers can expect when they stop into one of its massive convenience stores.
Greg Silverman, global director of brand economics at Interbrand, said the company has tapped into the tension between drivers’ need to stop somewhere for food or gas and the desire for that place to be unique.
“I think you have to understand that tension,” said Silverman. “And I think [Buc-ee’s] cracked the code on that a long time ago.”
Drawing people in
Buc-ee’s brand recognition has grown so dramatically that it’s sparking interest far from its home state of Texas.
“It's definitely destination retail,” said Mary Brett Whitfield, senior vice president of shopper insights for data analytics firm Kantar. “When you start talking to people about Buc-ee’s, the people who have been there, everyone has a Buc-ee’s story.”
Shopper Casey Hammon attended the Virginia store’s grand opening with her son Samuel. They’d previously visited the location in Sevierville, Tennessee, which opened about two years ago about 350 miles from Rockingham County. While they had no specific plans for the June 30 visit aside from browsing, the destination was special enough on its own.
“I promised him I'd bring him to the opening,” said Casey Hammon. “And I can't break a promise.”
Whitfield compared Buc-ee’s to experiential retailers like Bass Pro Shops, which feature historical information and even aquariums to make the store experience more unique and inviting.
While much of the retail industry has moved away from this approach, especially since COVID-19 dealt a blow to the whole sector, Buc-ee’s continues to lean in, Silverman and Whitfield noted. The company has grown from about 30 stores in 2019, when it opened its first site outside of Texas, to more than 50 locations in 11 states, with more on the way.
The Buc-ee’s experience is also enhanced by its locations, which are built along major transportation arteries. While this ensures the sites get enough traffic to support their immense size, it also brings another benefit — a presence on vacation routes.
“When you start to talk to people about Buc-ee’s, they'll be like, ‘Oh, yeah, we always stop there on the way to the cabin.’ Or, ‘Every summer when we go to the beach, we stop there,’” said Whitfield. “So it becomes part of those routines.”
This gives Buc-ee’s a presence far beyond its areas of operation and sparks interest well ahead of opening. For instance, the chain has become a hot topic in Ohio — Whitfield lives in Columbus — which will be getting its first Buc-ee’s in 2026.
“We're talking about the Buc-ee’s opening even though it's not in the Columbus Metro and even though it's not until next year,” she said.
The value of a brand
Brand equity is a term used to describe the expectations a company builds in shoppers interacting with its brand — the things that fans would agree are important to the company.
For Buc-ee’s, the brand equity is in the character of the stores. They’re large, brash and clean. They place their food front and center.
“You typically smell it as soon as you walk in the store,” said Whitfield. “It smells great. … It just gives you a lot of comfort that this is good. It's fresh. You can trust the quality.”
Brand value, meanwhile, reflects “how you create an experience that delivers against those perceptions,” said Silverman.
Buc-ee’s strong brand equity and brand value is helping build the company’s reputation across the country and develop a loyal fan base as it makes its way across the U.S.
“There's so many ways in which you can discover Buc-ee’s before you even go there,” said Silverman. “People talk about it.”
That encompasses people discussing the upcoming store to the hundreds of TikToks, Instagram posts, LinkedIn comments and more where people share their experiences.
“Go look for somebody who doesn't like it,” said Silverman. “It's hard to find.”
That was clear in the opening day crowds.
Brian Schiltz traveled more than two hours across Virginia to come to the opening. He hadn’t been to a Buc-ee’s before, but said he was pleasantly surprised by the array of items for sale, including multitools and camping gear.
“I know a lot of people that have been to them, and we're from Arizona originally, so I felt like I kind of missed out on it,” said Schiltz. “But with them opening up over here? It's kind of exciting.”
Most c-store chains aren’t brand-building like Buc-ee’s, in part because not every retailer has its massive size and vacation-stop feel.
While it’s possible to get intimidated by the well-oiled machine that is Buc-ee’s, Silverman stressed that the industry has plenty of opportunity for retailers to build their own niche.
“Even though Buc-ee’s is at one extreme and doing extremely well, there's still a lot of room in between the traditional store and what they are for more innovation.”
