what? This year's USA TODAY 10 Best Road Trips ranking of Best Gas Station Brands and Best Gas Stations for Food resulted in some surprising upsets.
Cult favorite Wawa doesn't appear in either film.
Buc-ee's, another gas station and convenience store with many fans, ranked 10th on both lists.
Other than Buc-ee's, only two Florida-based gas stations were on either list. RaceTrac, with his 296 stores in Florida, was ranked No. 5, and TravelCenters of America, with his eight stores in Florida, was ranked No. 8. TravelCenters was also named #5 Best Gas Station for Food.
USA TODAY 10 Best Gas Station Brands in America 2024
Wisconsin-based Kwik Trip received the highest score for America's Best Gas Station Brands, based on reader voting of gas stations chosen by a panel of experts.
Here's the rest:
Kwik Trip: Kwik Trip has more than 800 locations, all located in the North Midwest. There are no stores in Florida. HyVee. HyVee is committed to the Midwest, with more than 285 of his stores in eight states. Casey's: There are approximately 2,500 Casey's gas stations in 16 states and territories nationwide. Not Florida. Royal Farms: Royal Farms is located in the Northeast and has more than 250 locations. Racetrack: Finally, the first Florida gas station on our list. There are nearly 580 racetrack gas stations in the United States, most of them in the South, and 296 of them right here in the Sunshine State. Maverick: We may have over 400 locations in 12 states, but they're on opposite sides of the country. .Rutter's: The most local of all the gas stations on the list, Rutter's has 87 locations in his two states: Maryland and Pennsylvania. TravelCenters of America: There are eight TravelCenters of America locations on the list, second only to stores in the Sunshine State. In Florida. That's not surprising either. The chain has about 300 locations in 44 states. QuikTrip: There are 1,077 QuikTrip locations in the U.S., but none in Florida. Buc-ee's: Hundreds of gas pumps, clean bathrooms, Texas-based Buc-ee's has nearly 50 of his stores in 10 states.
Florida has two Buc-ee's in St. Augustine and Daytona Beach, and two more in Ocala and the Treasure Coast. Daytona Beach Buc-ee's recently announced an expansion with a new 235-foot-long car wash.
A new store is coming: What's being built north of Buc-ee's in Daytona Beach? Let's take a look.
USA TODAY 10 Best Gas Stations for Groceries in 2024
This is where the riot begins. When many Floridians think of going to a gas station for a quick bite, there's a good chance they think of a personalized Wawa hoagie, quesadilla, or breakfast sandwich.
However, TravelCenters of America and Buc-ee's were the only gas stations with locations in Florida that made it to the list of best gourmet restaurants.
Who is the national winner? In addition to its 24/7 breakfast menu, Royal Farms offers “sandwiches, burgers, hot dogs, and our favorite fried chicken.”
Here's a look at other travelers who made it into our top 10 for hungry travelers and why our readers voted for them.
Royal Farms: This chain also sells a variety of packaged snacks, fountains, and bottled beverages. Casey's: Casey's stores offer sandwiches, wings, breakfast items, and pre-packaged dishes, but are known for their pizza. Quick Trip: People are coming. We go to Kwik Trip to get gas, but they go inside for a bakery offering bread, muffins, cookies, bagels, and donuts. They also offer burritos, pizza, salads, soups, and fried chicken. Rutter's: His food service counter is open 24/7 and features seafood, burgers, pizza and subs, as well as a full breakfast menu and children's menu. American Travel Centers: It's hard to argue with this one, but at least there are a few in Florida. TravelCenters truck stops include complete full-service restaurants and some have partnerships with various fast-food restaurants like Popeyes and Taco Bell. Maverick: Maverick is home to BonFire Foods, a restaurant that makes fresh pizza. Wraps, salads, sandwiches, and burritos are available daily. QuickChek: His more than 150 stores in New Jersey and New York feature popular bakery products such as soups, salads, sandwiches, wraps, seasonal dishes and specialty cookies. Weigel's: If you've never driven through Tennessee, you may not be familiar with Weigel's, which has about 100 gas stations throughout the eastern part of the state. But locals love the bakery's donuts, cookies, and muffins, as well as its pizza, sandwiches, fried chicken, and breakfast foods. QuikTrip: QT Kitchen counters offer frozen treat concoctions, specialty drinks, breakfast biscuits, macaroni and cheese, sandwiches, pizza and tacos made fresh to order daily. Buc-ee's: And Buc-ee's. With a storefront larger than some grocery stores, Buc-ee's offers freshly prepared food (including barbecue sandwiches, Certified Angus Beef Brisket, pulled pork, sausage, turkey, kolaches, roasted cinnamon nuts, pastries, fudge, and potato chips); Chips, candy, popcorn, hot sauce, candied jalapeños, addictive beaver nuggets, and walls of homemade jerky all packaged under the Buc-ee name.
Sorry to all the Wawa fans. Console yourself with the new Honey Hot Panini. See you next year.