Wawa snubbed? Buc-ee's makes list of 10 best gas stations for food in US (2024)

What? There was a staggering upset in this year's USA TODAY 10Best roadtrip rankings for Best Gas Station Brand and Best Gas Station for Food.

Cult-favorite Wawa doesn't appear anywhere on either one.

The other gas station/convenience store with a massive following, Buc-ee’s, squeaked in at No. 10 on both lists.

Besides Buc-ee's, only two gas stations with a Florida presence made either list. RaceTrac, which has 296 locations in Florida, was named No. 5 and TravelCenters of America with eight stores here was No. 8 for Best Gas Station Brands. TravelCenters also was named No. 5 for Best Gas Station for Food.

USA TODAY 10Best Gas Station Brands in the U.S. for 2024

Wisconsin-based Kwik Trip scored the highest in Best Gas Station Brand in the U.S., based on reader votes on gas stations selected by an expert panel.

Here are the rest:

1. Kwik Trip: Kwik Trip has more than 800 locations, all in the northern midwest. No Florida stores.
2. HyVee. HyVee sticks to the midwest, where they have over 285 stores in eight states.
3. Casey's: There are nearly 2,500 Casey's gas stations in 16 states and territories across the country. Not Florida.
4. Royal Farms: Royal Farms is in the northeast, with over 250 locations.
5. RaceTrac: Finally, the first Florida gas station on the list. There are nearly 580 RaceTrac gas stations in the U.S., mostly in the south, with 296 right here in the Sunshine State.
6. Maverik: They may have more than 400 locations in 12 states, but they're over on the other side of the country.
7. Rutter's: The most localized of all the gas stations on the list, Rutter's has 87 locations in just two states, Maryland and Pennsylvania.
8. TravelCenters of America: The next one on the list with any Sunshine State locations, there are eight TravelCenters of America in Florida. That's not surprising, the chain extends to about 300 locations in 44 states.
9. QuikTrip: There are 1,077 QuikTrip locations in the U.S., but not in Florida.
10. Buc-ee's: Known for their massive travel centers with hundreds of gas pumps, immaculate bathrooms and a wide range of food, Buc-ee's barely made the list at No. 10. The Texas-based Buc-ee's has nearly 50 locations in 10 states.

There are two Buc-ee's in Florida, in St. Augustine and Daytona Beach, with two more coming to Ocala and the Treasure Coast. The Daytona Beach Buc-ee's recently announced an expansion with a new 235-foot long car wash.

New store coming:What's being built north of Buc-ee's in Daytona Beach? Here's a look.

USA TODAY 10Best Gas Station for Food for 2024

Here's where the outrage begins. When many Floridians are thinking of heading to the gas station to grab a bite, odds are good they're thinking of a personalized Wawa hoagie, quesadilla or breakfast sandwich.

But the only gas stations with Florida locations to make the best-food list were TravelCenters of America and Buc-ee's.

The winner, nationwide? Royal Farms, which offers a 24/7 breakfast menu plus "sandwiches, burgers, hot dogs, and their popular fried chicken."

Here are the others that made the top ten for hungry travelers, and why readers voted for them.

1. Royal Farms: The chain also sells a wide variety of packaged snacks and fountain and bottled beverages.
2. Casey's: Casey's stores have sandwiches, wings, and breakfast items along with prepackaged fare, but they're known for their pizza.
3. Kwik Trip: People come to Kwik Trip for the gas, but they come inside for the bakery which serves bread, muffins, cookies, bagels, and doughnuts. They also offer burritos, pizza, salads, soups, and fried chicken.
4. Rutter's: Their food service counter is open 24/7 and includes seafood, burgers, pizza and subs, plus a full breakfast menu and a kid's menu.
5. TravelCenters of America: Hard to argue with this one, and at least there are some in Florida. TravelCenters truck stops include complete full-service restaurants in their locations, and some are partnered with a variety of fast food places such as Popeyes and Taco Bell.
6. Maverik: Inside a Maverik store you'll find BonFire Foods, an eatery making fresh pizzas, wraps, salads, sandwiches, and burritos every day.
7. QuickChek: The more than 150 stores in New Jersey and New York are popular for their soups, salads, sandwiches, wraps, seasonal dishes and bakery goods such as their signature cookies.
8. Weigel's: If you haven't driven through Tennessee you might not be familiar with Weigel's, which has about a hundred gas stations all over the eastern side of the state. But locals like the doughnuts, cookies, and muffins coming from the bakery, as well as the store's pizzas, sandwiches, fried chicken, and breakfast foods.
9. QuikTrip: QT Kitchen counters serve up frozen treat concoctions, specialty drinks, breakfast biscuits, macaroni and cheese, sandwiches, pizza, and tacos made fresh to order every day.
10. Buc-ee's: And then there's Buc-ee's. With locations larger than some grocery stores, Buc-ee's is famed for its bewilderingly large array of food, both freshly made (BBQ sandwiches, certified Angus beef brisket, pulled pork, sausages, turkey, kolaches, roasted cinnamon nuts, pastries, fudge, even potato chips) and packaged under the Buc-ee's name such as chips, candy, popcorn, hot sauces, candied jalapeños, the highly addictive Beaver Nuggets, and an entire wall of homemade jerky.

Sorry, Wawa fans. You can console yourselves with one of their new Honey Hot Paninis. See you next year.