Buc-ee’s is amazing!
From the hot food…
To the pre-packaged food…
To the wall of jerky…
To the Beaver Nuggets…
To the merch, clothes, cookware – pretty much whatever you could want at Buc-ee’s, you can get, right?
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Genuinely, Buc-ee’s is amazing.
A big part of that is – they had the vision to make the space for it!
The typical gas station convenience store is…2,000-4,000 square feet.
The typical Buc-ee’s? Over 50,000. And the newer ones are all 74,000+!
And if you don’t have one local to you (after all, Buc-ee’s is only in nine states right now), I have good news:
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Buc-ee’s is rapidly expanding to new locations.
And bringing so much more than “just” great food, clean bathrooms, and everything you could ever imagine buying on a roadtrip.
(Although each of those would be great on their own.)
You see, the average Buc-ee’s also brings 125-250 good-paying jobs.
Which is pretty much unheard-of for a gas station – both in terms of size and pay.
In fact…
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Starting pay for their lowest-paid workers is usually $18 an hour.
That’s for janitorial, cashier, grocery stockers, and warehouse crew.
If you work to keep their restrooms clean, it’s $20.
Food service and car wash? $21!
And the generosity doesn’t end there…
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Assistant General Manager, Gift Manger, or Car Wash Manager? $125k+
Food Service Manager? $150k+!
And General Manager – $175k+
Plus, a 401k, three weeks PTO, healthcare, and for the hourly folks – an extra $2 an hour for covering the overnight graveyard shifts.
These are good jobs.
Unfortunately…
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Despite the fact that Buc-ee’s is awesome, and pays its people incredibly well, AND (at least in my experience) helps pull in extra tourist traffic…
There are some groups who still don’t like to see it expanding to their neighborhood.
These folks are usually complaining about traffic and general urban sprawl.
I understand their concerns (well, sort of), but I think it’s important to look at the big picture here – there are a ton of benefits to a local Buc-ee’s.
Here are five communities where the pro/anti-Buc-ee’s debates are raging, starting with some news out of Colorado:
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Buc-ee’s has a second location planned in Colorado after the success of its Johnstown store, which opened last March.
Its planned expansion to Palmer Lake, however, has hit some significant speed bumps.
There was significant community opposition in the beginning, which coalesced in two local nonprofits filing a lawsuit against the town of Palmer Lake seeking to prevent the expansion.
And then things started really twisting and turning…
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In March, Buc-ee’s withdrew its application, citing a “technical issue”, before resubmitting on April 3rd.
At this point, the town of Palmer Lake and Buc-ee’s reached negotiated terms for Buc-ee’s annexing and developing land. The next step is the town’s Board of Trustees voting on the agreement. That’s scheduled for August 28.
I have a suspicion that this one’s going to keep being interesting for a while!
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Stafford County is one of three Virginia locations that should be getting a Buc-ee’s (the Mount Crawford location near Harrisonburg already opened in late June), but the move is sparking lots of controversy.
In fact, Stafford County residents vented at a board meeting last May about Buc-ee’s – even though it wasn’t even on the agenda!
At this point, it’s still under county review.
This is going to be an important one to watch, because Stafford lives on the all-important I-95 artery that runs from Florida to Maine, and it gets a ton of traffic.
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Buc-ee’s has been gradually expanding up the I-95 corridor over the years…Florida, Georgia, South Carolina…and now North Carolina and Virginia.
Could Maryland be next?
Possibly even upstate New York?
In any case, let’s move on to the heart of it all…
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This one’s a real heartbreaker because it would be Ohio’s very first Buc-ee’s.
The city of Huber Heights and the Clark County commission were in litigation with each other for over a year because of a dispute about water services for a proposed Buc-ee’s at the I-70/Ohio 235 interchange.
It got bad enough that Buc-ee’s had to pause construction, which has introduced possible delays to its planned “late 2025” opening date.
Fortunately, Clark County and Huber Heights came to an agreement in December, so construction is moving forward again.
That said, its current target open date is now April 2026.
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Citizens’ opposition to Georgia’s proposed fourth Buc-ee’s, in Monroe County, boiled over in November when the local zoning board refused to take a position regarding the planned building site.
More than 100 locals showed up at the meeting to speak out against Buc-ee’s.
But this spring, the county commission took up the charge and carried it across the finish line, approving the planned Buc-ee’s. It will be on Rumble Road near the I-75/I-475 split, and is currently slated for late 2026.
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This one’s had some big bumps along the road, but fortunately it has a happy ending.
Mebane was chosen as the site for the first Buc-ee’s in North Carolina, and almost overnight people came out against.
There were petitions, protests, and tons of public meetings.
In fact, the Mebane Planning and Zoning Board rejected the proposal to allow for the rezoning so Buc-ee’s could build.
Fortunately…
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The Mebane City Council ultimately got involved and approved the site at the interchange of I-85 and I-40 between Greensboro and Raleigh.
(Another perfect location for a Buc-ee’s – right between two cities, with lots of traffic along the way!)
This Buc-ee’s is slated to open in early 2027 – congratulations, North Carolina!
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So there you have it – five places where battles to keep Buc-ee’s out are either ongoing or have recently wrapped up.
And again – I truly hope all of them resolve in Buc-ee’s favor!
(While also understanding that – having a gas station next door with millions of people visiting a year could be…a lot.)
Time will tell.
In the meantime…
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Would you like a Buc-ee’s nearby?
Where should Buc-ee’s build next?
Let us know in the comments!
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Thanks to those of you who have commented! I’ll just share a few thoughts:
– Several people pointed out that local gas stations tend to suffer when Buc-ee’s opens up. As far as I can tell, that’s true and a valid concern! But here’s the thing – it usually forces gas stations to step up their game or lose business. As a consumer, I love gas stations having to work hard to earn my business!
– A few of you noted that there has been some jurisdiction shopping by Buc-ee’s – Orange County NC said no to a Buc-ee’s in Elfland, so now they’re heading for Mebane; same deal with Monument and Palmer Lake in Colorado. I’m glad that so many localities are really considering what their individual needs are, and that Buc-ee’s is able to find places that want it.
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