A history of Buc-ee's: 5 things you didn’t know about the popular convenience store chain
FILE-Buc-ees Travel Center opened in Johnstown, Colorado on March 18, 2024. (Photo by RJ Sangosti/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
Buc-ee’s recently opened a new location in Luling, Texas with a whopping 75,000 square feet featuring 120 gas pumps and boasting pristine bathrooms.
With multiple locations across the country and a massive cult following, here are a few things you may not know about the beloved convenience store chain.
What is Buc-ee's?
The Texas-based convenience store and travel center chain was founded in 1982 by Arch "Beaver" Aplin III and has a reputation for good food, huge locations, and super-clean bathrooms.
RELATED: World's largest Buc-ee's is now open in Texas
The stores offer thousands of food and drink options, including Texas barbecue, homemade fudge, kolaches, Beaver Nuggets, jerky and fresh pastries," the company said in a release.
How did Buc-ee’s create the logo?
The logo is a beaver with a cap, and it was inspired by Alpin’s childhood. Beaver was Aplin's nickname as a kid, CBS News noted, and the mascot is related to a 1950s cartoon character called "Bucky Beaver."
Aplin created the name and logo by combining his nickname with the name of his beloved dog Buck, the Shreveport Times reported.
Buc-ee’s has beaver statues outside its stores and patrons can get their picture taken with a mascot inside.
Where are there other Buc-ee’s locations?
In addition to the new Luling, Texas, location, the company also has stores in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee, Missouri, and Colorado. With the opening of the store in Luling, Buc-ee's will have 50 locations in nine states.
FILE-Employees welcome shoppers as they arrived inside Buc-ees Travel Center in Johnstown, Colorado on March 18, 2024. (Photo by RJ Sangosti/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
The company broke ground on its first Virginia and Mississippi locations and plans are in the works for the first Arizona and North Carolina Buc-ee's.
Why is Buc-ee’s so popular?
There’s a love of Buc-ee’s for a variety of reasons depending on who you ask. But the top reasons for fans of the franchise are the stores' clean restrooms, the gas pumps, store locations have 100 gas stations, massive billboards on the highway, and its menu items, including brisket, beef jerky, and Beaver nuggets.
FILE-Various baked items sit on display at the kolaches counter at the nation's largest Buc-ee's. (Photo by William DeShazer for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Buc-ee’s holds world records
Buc-ee’s has another distinction as a world record holder, setting records for the longest car wash at 255 feet of conveyor, and the Sevierville, Tennessee location set the record for the largest convenience store in the world at 74,707 square feet before it lost the title to the new Luling, Texas store, according to the company’s website.
This story was reported from Washington, D.C.