Wawa, the popular gas-and-convenience chain, is finally set to hold a grand opening event for its third Pensacola-area store on North Davis Highway.
Wawa’s new store is opening at 8550 N. Davis Highway on Oct. 3 and fans will be able to line up outside starting at 7:45 a.m.
Doors will open at 8 a.m. and a ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held half an hour later. Afterward, local fire and police representatives will compete in Wawa’s signature “Hoagies for Heroes” sandwich-building competition.
The event will kick off with a parade with Wawa associates, also known as “Craving Tamers,” and the introduction of the $6 Meal Deal campaign. As its name suggests, the $6 Meal Deal campaign includes a Shorti Hoagie, Wrap or Chicken Sandwich, a small fountain drink, and a bag of Herr’s chips for $6.
Fans of the chain will have an opportunity to meet Wawa mascot Wally Goose at the ceremony too.
This store opening marks Wawa’s third store in Pensacola and the company plans to open 20-25 new stores across the Panhandle over the next eight to 10 years. Wawa will invest over $7.5 million to build each store and employ, on average, 140 contractors as well as local partners to build each location.
Once open, each store will employ an average of 35 associates with Wawa expecting to create more than 1,000 long-term new jobs as a result of expansion in the Panhandle.
Will Wawa opening have free giveaways?
Wawa is giving the first 100 customers a free T-shirt and offering free, any size hot coffee for the grand opening event.
The hot coffee deal will be available through Oct. 5, according to Wawa.
Does Wawa already have a Pensacola store?
Pennsylvania-based Wawa has spent the past few years working to establish a footprint in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.
Wawa’s first Pensacola-area store opened off of Boesch Lane in December, while its second local store opened in April off West Nine Mile Road.
Wawa has two more locations in the works in Escambia County at:
Santa Rosa County has approved two Wawa stores for construction as well. One store is coming to Navarre, while the other will debut in Pace.
What’s Wawa?
The popular convenience store and gas station chain, renowned for its hoagies, customization choices and 24/7 availability, began in 1964 in Pennsylvania and has branched out in rapid fashion.
The chain has approximately 300 stores in Florida and employs about 10,000 associates across the Sunshine State. Its existing Florida stores are mostly in the southwest, across Central Florida and up and down the east coast.
Wawa has over 1,100 stores operating in the U.S.
What does Wawa stand for?
“Wawa” is an Ojibwe Native American word that translates, more or less, as “Canada goose.” It’s also the name of the town where this version of the company developed and where the corporate offices still reside. That’s also why there’s a goose on the company’s corporate logo.
It’s pronounced to rhyme with “saw-saw,” and the second w is never capitalized.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Wawa holding grand opening event for Ferry Pass store on Oct. 3
Reporting by Edward Bunch III, Pensacola News Journal / Pensacola News Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
