Why Americans Are Obsessed With These Convenience Stores

Wawa, Casey's, and 7-Eleven represent distinct approaches within the highly competitive convenience store industry, each leveraging different strategies to attract and retain customers. Wawa, in particular, has cultivated a fiercely loyal customer base, often described as a "cult-like following," primarily due to its emphasis on fresh, high-quality food. The company's revenue has more than doubled, and its workforce has grown by nearly 90% over the past decade, with annual revenue reaching an estimated $18.8 billion across nearly 1200 stores. Wawa's success is rooted in its commitment to food service, testing new hoagies, sauces, coffees, and smoothies at its Innovation Center. It offers 15 limited-time items annually, with the Thanksgiving-inspired "gobbler" being the most popular. The company has moved away from third-party food offerings, with all fresh food and beverages now Wawa-branded, reflecting customer trust in its brand and products. This focus has paid off, as customers who frequent both Wawa and quick-service chains like Burger King, Wendy's, or Starbucks have been shopping more frequently at Wawa since 2023, especially for breakfast. Wawa's ability to transform the historical negatives of gas stations, such as dirty bathrooms and low-quality food, into positives has been a key differentiator. The company's customer base is growing, while competitors like 7-Eleven, Circle K, and Sheetz are seeing declines. Employee ownership, with nearly 40% of the company owned by its staff, fosters a high level of commitment and contributes to a strong customer connection. Wawa's origins trace back to an iron foundry, then a dairy business, before pivoting to a food market in the 1960s. This dairy heritage provided a foundational advantage in food. Wawa expanded slowly in its home markets before growing across East Coast states and Washington, D.C. It embraced 24/7 operations, surcharge-free ATMs, free tire air, and fuel in the 90s. Its expansion into Florida in 2012 has made it synonymous with the state, and recent ventures into the Midwest have shown similar success. Wawa is pursuing an aggressive expansion plan, aiming for 1700 locations by 2030 without mergers or acquisitions, prioritizing being the "best" over the "biggest." However, scaling presents challenges in maintaining quality, customer service, and a strong supply chain, as Wawa relies on third-party suppliers, unlike Casey's which controls its own. The company has also experienced misses, such as its pizza in 2023 and a drive-thru-only concept, but views these as learning opportunities. In contrast, 7-Eleven, the world's largest convenience store chain, faces a reputation problem, particularly in the U.S., where it's often perceived as having a "dirty feel." Its Japanese parent company, Seven & i Holdings, is under pressure due to disappointing financial results and a failed acquisition bid. 7-Eleven is now shifting its focus toward transformation, aiming to emulate the success of its Japanese stores by improving the in-store experience, with a key emphasis on food. The company, founded in 1927 in Texas, pioneered the convenience store concept but has been criticized for "resting on its laurels" and not evolving its proposition in the U.S. Net income dropped by 17%, and nearly 450 underperforming stores were closed in North America in fiscal year 2024. Challenges include less control over its largely franchised U.S. businesses and intense competition from regional chains like Wawa and Casey's, which have strong food offerings and loyal followings. 7-Eleven is working to streamline operations and strengthen finances for a potential IPO in 2026. Its transformation plans, launched in 2025, focus on making stores food destinations by adding restaurants, building or renovating kitchens, and modernizing food and beverage options. It owns three fast-food chains—Laredo Taco Company, Raise The Roost, and Speedy Cafe—and plans to open 1300 new food-focused stores in North America by 2030. Stephen Dacus, the first non-Japanese CEO, is leading the charge to make U.S. stores more "Japanese-like," starting with food, including iconic egg salad sandwiches. While 7-Eleven acknowledges the need to change and evolve, renovating stores and improving offerings are costly and time-consuming. Customer growth at its U.S. stores has not been sustained. Casey's General Stores, the third-largest convenience store chain by size in the U.S., has also built a loyal following, largely due to its made-from-scratch pizza and strategic focus on rural America. More than two-thirds of its stores are in towns with populations under 20,000, often serving as the primary convenience store. This positioning helps Casey's maintain pricing power and foster a strong customer base. The company's stock has soared over 130% between September 2022 and September 2025, with net sales growing 19.5% and inside sales up 14.2% in Q1 2026. Casey's operates with a "three businesses in one" model: a grocery store, fuel, and a strong food service. Casey's differentiates itself by controlling its supply chain, with most stores intentionally built within a 500-mile radius of a distribution center. This reduces logistics costs, improves inventory control, and ensures consistent product availability. The company has also used strategic acquisitions, like the $1.15 billion purchase of Fikes in 2024, to enter new markets, particularly in the South. Casey's prioritizes acquisitions where assets can accommodate a kitchen, reflecting its food-centric strategy. Since starting pizza in 1984, it has expanded its food offerings to breakfast sandwiches, baked goods, and specialty coffee, allowing it to compete effectively with quick-service restaurants. Its prepared food and dispensed beverage segment accounts for about 10% of its $15.9 billion total revenue. With fast food prices inflating, Casey's has gained customers, leveraging mobile ordering, delivery, and pickup. The company's long history of making high-quality prepared food gives it an advantage over competitors like 7-Eleven, which are just now focusing on freshly made food. Casey's also competes with local grocery stores through its nearly 350 private-label products. While fuel remains a majority of its revenue, Casey's is "going all in on food" to drive future growth and compete at the level of the best in the restaurant industry.