Wawa Closes First Standalone Drive-Thru Location
MEDIA, Pa. — After nearly four years in operation, Wawa Inc.'s first-ever standalone drive-thru location is closing up shop.
The site, located at 549 W. Trenton Ave. in Morrisville, Pa., closed its doors this week, reported LevittownNow.com. The location is situated next to an existing Wawa convenience store and a former Rite Aid.
The Pennsylvania-based c-store chain opened the new format in January 2021. The concept offered drive-thru service and curbside pickup only, and served 12 cars at a time from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. It was designed to offer extra convenience and focused on fresh food while retaining key Wawa design elements such as its trademarked canopy, according to the company.
"Wawa is constantly testing new concepts to meet the needs of our customers," Jennifer Wolf, a Wawa spokesperson, told LevittownNow.com. She noted that Wawa's two other standalone drive-thru locations in Allentown, Pa., and Largo, Fla., will remain open as the company continues to "test and learn."
Wawa will introduce another new concept for the company with the opening of its first-ever travel center in mid-2025. The 8,400-square-foot store is significantly larger than modern Super Wawa locations, which typically range from 5,500 to 6,000 square feet. It will feature both indoor and outdoor seating areas plus a large open design for Wawa's fresh food and beverage area, as Convenience Store News previously reported.
The chain is also continuing its current expansion plans, which include central Pennsylvania, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia.
Wawa operates more than 1,060 convenience stores in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Florida, North Carolina, Alabama and Washington, D.C.
The company is No. 9 on the 2024 Convenience Store News Top 100 ranking.