Buc-ee's Opens First Store Outside Texas
LOXLEY, Ala. (CBSDFW.COM/AP) — A company known for its massive convenience stores has come to Alabama to open its first location outside of Texas.
Buc-ee's unveiled its new location on Interstate 10 near the Alabama coast Monday.
Located along a beach express highway at Loxley, the store has more than 50,000 square feet and 124 fuel pumps. The chain is known for its extensive food offerings and massive restrooms.
Buc-ee's founder Arch Aplin attended the opening. He told WKRG-TV the company is looking at additional sites in Alabama east of Birmingham in Leeds on Interstate 20 and in Auburn on Interstate 85.
The company was founded in 1982 and is based in Lake Jackson, Texas. Its 34 other stores are mostly clustered around cities in eastern Texas, particularly Houston.
And things are moving forward after Buc-ee's announced in February of 2018 it signed a development agreement with the City of Ennis to build a new travel center bordered by I-45 north, Sonoma Trail and Creechville Road.
The travel center, complete with 86 fueling stations, is set to open in May 2020, City Manager R. Scott Dixon told The Ennis News.
The future Buc-ee's, will be bigger than the new Alabama store, at approximately 55,000 square feet.
Construction is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2019.
In 2016, Bon Appétit Magazine chose Buc-ee's as the best rest stop in America for its ample gas pumps, clean restrooms, the lack of a checkout line and "wide range of offerings specifically targeted to Texas tastes." That includes smoked and dried meats, beaver nuggets, handmade fudge and brisket breakfast tacos.
(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)