What's In Store: Buc-ee's, Foxtrot & GetGo Café + Market

Buc-ee's

Fan favorite convenience store and travel plaza chain Buc-ee's is expanding its presence in Kentucky, with plans to break ground on a second location this June.

According to WAVE 3, the new travel center will be located in Smiths Grove, which would be the smallest city in the country Buc-ee's operates in. The company had opened a site in Richmond, Ky. in 2022, along with four other locations over the last year in Alabama, Tennessee and South Carolina.

Buc-ee's intends to continue its expansion into new territory over the next few years, with plans already submitted for sites in Wisconsin and Virginia.

Foxtrot

Foxtrot opened two new locations, one at the Navy Yard in Washington, D.C. and a flagship site in Austin, Texas, the latter of which will be the largest store Foxtrot operates.

The Navy Yard location at 1275 New Jersey Ave. SE gave out free tote bags and goodies when customers paid through the company app on opening day, along with a $10 credit and other discounts for those that joined the rewards program via email. 

The location sits at 3,760 square feet and features hand-painted signage by Chicago Sign Systems and Caswell Sign & Design, found objects by Zap Props, custom lighting by hollis + morris, store fixtures by JSI and LSI, and furniture by Crow Works. The space was developed by Foxtrot's in-house design team in partnership with Nahra Design Group as the architect on record. In addition to the all-day café, the store also contains everything from local craft beers and fine wines to everyday essentials. 

Foxtrot's new Austin location at South 1st and Annie measures 6,000 square feet and includes an indoor-outdoor covered patio. The store was once two buildings that have now been bridged together, to house not only the patio but a café and market. The space was designed by Foxtrot's in-house design team in partnership with Scott Magic of Magic Architecture. Neon Jungle's Evan Voyles also created a custom neon marquee sign for the store. The opening celebration featured giveaways, live music, light bites and $5 pours of wine. 

In the coming weeks, Foxtrot plans to open a third Austin location at the base of Austin City Hall. The opening day will be announced at a later date. 

GetGo Café + Market

GetGo Café + Market celebrated the grand opening of its newest location at 1800 Three Degree Road in Mars, Pa. 

The 5,520-square-foot store is the company's 270th GetGo location and includes a full kitchen that specializes in fresh-to-order meals, sandwiches, wraps and snacks. The site also features GetGo's new bean-to-cup coffee machines, along with a wide selection of cold beverages. The store currently employs 28 team members, has six gas pumps and will be open 24 hours a day. The company plans to continue to hire workers for the site in the months ahead.

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The company partnered with Adams Township and the Mars Area School District to create community-focused activities in the week leading up to the opening event, including a meet-and-greet with GetGo leaders and chefs, and special demonstrations by the nonprofit K9s for Warriors. 

The opening day ceremony featured a giant sub-cutting in lieu of a ribbon, along with a live DJ, giveaways, raffle drawings, and food and beverage samples. Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher David Bednar, former Pittsburgh Pirate Neil Walker and the Pirate Parrot mascot also made appearances.

"We're so excited to celebrate the opening of our newest GetGo Café + Market in partnership with the Adams Township community," said Brandon Daniels, GetGo public relations manager. "We're located between Mars High School and Mars Middle School and just south of the community soccer fields. With that in mind, we designed this building to serve as a resource to the community with outdoor seating facing the soccer fields and extra-large restrooms to accommodate families with strollers."

MAPCO

MAPCO marked the grand opening of its newest store in Wilson County, Tenn., located at 3450 Highway 109. 

As part of the ceremonies, MAPCO unveiled its on-site "Fueling Our Future" dedicated gas pumps, which will benefit the students at Mt. Juliet High School. The pumps will be open for 30 days following the opening celebration, with MAPCO donating 25 cents for every gallon pumped to the Bears' athletic and arts programs.  

Representatives from the school, along with the school marching band and cheerleading team, joined local community partners, MAPCO executives and store team members to celebrate the partnership with an official ribbon-cutting ceremony. 

The 5,600-square-foot location has 16 fueling stations and boasts MAPCO's latest "Store of the Future" design, featuring an open floor plan and refreshed layout with large windows, tall ceilings and modern restrooms. Guests can enjoy an in-store Pizza Hut Express and an expanded selection of snacks and refreshments.

Earlier this year, Majors Management entered into an agreement to purchase the MAPCO chain and brand, with closing expected in the second half of 2023. 

Parker's Kitchen

Parker's Kitchen hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its 76th store.

Located at 1347 N. Fraser St. in Georgetown, S.C., the store design features Lowcountry-inspired architecture with a modern, contemporary glass-front facade. According to the company, the retail footprint offers an optimized interior layout to maximize efficiency for customers, along with manned and self-check-out stations. Inside, the store offers popular grab-and-go options as well as a hot bar serving breakfast, lunch and dinner and electronic kiosk ordering. 

Local dignitaries in attendance included Georgetown County Council members Lillie Johnson, Tamika Obeng and Hobson Henry Milton; President and CEO of the Georgetown County Chamber of Commerce Beth Stedman; City of Georgetown Main Street Coordinator Al Joseph; and Georgetown County Economic Development Executive Director Tiffany Harrison.

Parker's CEO Greg Parker also presented a $5,000 Fueling the Community check to Georgetown County School District Superintendent Keith Price to support local teachers and students.

"We're truly honored to join the Georgetown community and to serve local customers while giving back to support local schools," said Parker. "Our newest location in Georgetown is an exceptional fit for our growth plan, which is based on building new stores in strong growth markets."

Royal Farms

Royal Farms opened its second location in North Carolina in Greenville on June 15, just six weeks after its first store in Grandy opened.

The Greenville location offers the company's signature fried chicken, fresh-baked goods and a variety of North Carolina's popular side dishes, such as potato salad, mac and cheese, coleslaw and mashed potatoes. 

In honor of the opening, Royal Farms made donations to two local organizations: the James and Connie Maynard Children's Hospital at ECU Health Medical Center and the East Carolina University Foundation. 

A carwash will be available at the new site, with free car washes that can be earned through the Royal Farms rewards program, RoFo Rewards. 

Royal Farms has further plans to open more locations in the state, with stores already slated for New Bern, Lumberton, Kinston and Jacksonville.

Stewart's Shops

A new and improved Stewart's Shop opened in Scotia, N.Y., at 204 Mohawk Ave., right next to its old location and just down the road from the Scotia-Glenville School.

The rebuild process took longer than anticipated, with construction paused due to delays in the approval process. This also led to a brief closure, with eight days between the demolition of the old store and opening of the new. The site opened without any gas pumps in place, though completion of the fuel stations is expected for mid-June. 

The new shop has a bigger footprint, with fan favorite options like chili, mac and cheese, soups and meatballs available at the expanded food bar and pizza available whole or by the slice all day long. Customers will also have both indoor and outdoor eat-in options, along with additional parking spaces, an expanded grocery selection and a beer cave.

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The project was part of Stewart's $50 million construction investment for 2023, with eight rebuilds and nine new-to-market shops planned.

Thorntons

Thorntons opened two new locations, one in Louisville, Ky., at 10515 Preston Highway and one in Antioch, Tenn., at 2136 Century Farms Parkway.

The company now operates a total number of 46 stores in Louisville and Southern Indiana and 20 stores in the Nashville area.

The 4,400-square-foot Louisville site is set on 3.19 acres and features a number of amenities to serve on-the-go guests, including 16 auto fueling stations, self-checkout, LED lighting, freshly made burritos and sandwiches, and a variety of top-of-the-line beverages.

The same-sized facility in Antioch is set on 1.23 acres and features similar amenities, with an expanded 20 auto fueling positions.

At both grand opening ceremonies, guests were treated to music, games, giveaways and free Thorntons gift cards, with one winner receiving a $1,000 card. Thorntons leadership also presented individual $2,500 donations to Kentucky Harvest and Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee.