The opening of a new Wawa always garners attention. The case was no different on Friday morning as the company debuted their first-ever standalone drive-thru location in Falls Township.
With construction starting in September of last year, the building was finished in recent weeks and staff was trained to operate the 1,800-square-foot booth that offers drive-thru to customers next to the existing Wawa convenience store with a gas station and the Rite Aid at the corner of West Trenton Avenue and Pine Grove Road in the Morrisville section of Falls Township.
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The new concept for Wawa features a menu with sandwich and hoagie combos, burgers and fries, soup, salads, pasta meals, bowls, doughnuts, breakfast sandwiches, coffee, milkshakes, smoothies, and kids’ meals. At present, the location does not offer non-food or drink items.
While Wawa recently added a drive-thru window to a store in Burlington County, New Jersey, company officials said the Falls Township location is the first standalone drive-thru and it could spur many more in the coming years.
To celebrate the grand opening, the company donated $5,000 to Special Olympics Pennsylvania, $1,000 to Advocates For Homeless and Those In Need and $1,000 the Emergency Relief Association (ERA) Food Pantry. The two $1,000 donations were on behalf of the Falls Township Police Department and Falls Township Fire Company.
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The new location will employ about 30 workers and will be overseen by General Manager Shaun O’Malley, a local resident, and Area Manager Maxi Blair.
Wawa CEO Chris Gheysens told the gathered crowd of employees, media, and local officials that the new drive-thru location is the first facility the company opened in 2021. He added that 62 stores are planned in 2021 for the privately-owned company that has more than 915 locations on the East Coast.
Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com
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Gheysens said that while Pennsylvania-based rival Sheetz has operated drive-thrus for years, Wawa would do it better.
State Rep. John Galloway, a Democrat from Falls Township, told the crowd he believes Wawa will run the superior drive-thru operation, noting Sheetz are just are not as good.
While the drive-thru location is a perfect fit in the age of COVID-19, company officials have said plans for the new concept have been in the works for years.
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“Wawa continues to test new store concepts with this latest drive-thru format,” said Terri Micklin, director of construction for the company.
Mendy Meriwether, who is overseeing Wawa’s to-go initiatives, said the company looked at data and listened to customers when determining what would be sold at the new location.
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As the drive-thru location adapts to customer habits, don’t be surprised to see additions and subtractions from the menu, Meriwether said.
Micklin said the company “hopes to learn from the layout, workflow, and traffic flow” at the location as they look to the future.
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Customers started pulling up around 10 a.m. to put their orders in. The first few cars moved through the drive-thru quickly and got their orders.
Wawa had an antique 1918 milk truck at the event to symbolize the company’s growth from a dairy farm.
Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com
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