Opinion Review: Is Buc-ee’s really that good? Analyzing the Gas Station with a Cult Following

Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to travel down to Daytona Beach in Florida to watch the Daytona 400 NASCAR race.  Held at the same venue as the famed Daytona 500, this event is 100 miles shorter, and hosted at night.  The race attracts over 75,000 people, and unlike the 500, most of them are local to the area.  As a result, a much higher percentage of race-goers drove to the track rather than flew.  This made things difficult when it came to grabbing dinner after the race.

The checkered flag was taken at 11:46 PM after the race had gone to overtime.  We stuck around for roughly 25 minutes to watch the post-race events, then made our way to the car.  Being past midnight at that point, most dinner establishments were long past closed.  After a bit of looking through as we sat in traffic, we found a Buc-ee’s located just 4 miles from the Speedway that we set our sights on.  The drive from our parking spot to the gas station took about 40 minutes, and once we arrived the place was packed.  Being right off I-95 and one of the few places still open we knew it would be busy, but when we arrived there were already thousands of people getting gas or pursuing the store.  It was my first time ever at a Buc-ees, and I would be judging the store under the harshest of conditions.

Upon entering it was clear that they had anticipated the rush and had brought their A-game. 

Photo Credits: David Zalubowski/AP

Every part of that store ran like a well-oiled machine, which was instantly clear as we walked in and saw the cashiers making quick work of the line that was hundreds of people long. 

The store was virtually shoulder to shoulder the whole way through, but I made my way to the center in hopes of obtaining their famed brisket sandwich.  When I reached the station what I saw was nothing short of amazing.  The way the food station ran was almost like a performance, with everything running flawlessly.  In just 10 minutes of finding a space in the mass horde of people, I was able to obtain the three sandwiches for my group and make my way to the checkout.  All-in-all, my total time in the store was less than 25 minutes.

     So after just this one experience, I buy into the hype for Buc-ees.  It seems odd to have brand loyalty to a gas station, but once you visit it for the first time it all makes sense.