Wawa arrives in central Pa.: ‘We are so excited to be in a new community’

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There's no party like a Wawa grand opening party.

On Thursday morning the Delaware County-based chain celebrated the opening of its first central Pennsylvania store at 1601 W. Harrisburg Pike in Lower Swatara Township.

They pulled out all the stops, from mascot Wally Goose to free coffee, a parade, a hoagie-making contest and a ribbon cutting with confetti. The 6,049-square-foot store opened at 8 a.m. with a line wrapped around the building. The first customers showed up at 4:30 a.m.

"Some of you may know this but Wawa likes a party. We like to celebrate and most of all we love parades with a lot of hoopla," said Katie Stevens, director of store operations.

The parade — an energetic lineup of Wawa associates that featured snippets of the company's history — helped to mark the chain's arrival in the region.

It certainly won't be the last celebration. The chain plans to open 40 locations over the next five to seven years .

"We are so excited to be in a new community we call central Pennsylvania. We've got that southeastern Pennsylvania thing taken care of but it was time to move on and we're so excited to do that," said Wawa President Brian Schaller.

For a Pennsylvania company operating more than 1,000 stores in about a dozen states, including Florida, an expansion to the center of the state seems long overdue. Wawa announced the expansion in 2022.

"Many in this region have urged us to spread our wings and come west and today we're able to do that with the first of many stores," Schaller said.

He stressed Wawa's commitment to the region and noted the Lower Swatara Township store's location near the Harrisburg International Airport. It's also located several yards from where rival Sheetz operates a store. (For the record it appears a gas war may have already started with Wawa's regular gas priced at $3.23 a gallon versus Sheetz at $3.29.)

Wawa fans like Ella Krebs and Sam Gennett, of Harrisburg, said they didn't want to miss the opening.

"I have actually been counting down the days for this," said Krebs, a Penn State Harrisburg student. "We talked about camping out and I wish we would have because there are so many people here."

She said they stop at Wawa stores in Philadelphia and Lancaster. This morning she bought a coffee and everything bagel and noted Wawa will become a regular stop.

Wearing an "I love Wawa pizza" shirt, Jack Shrawder of Lykens said a Wawa team member he knows invited him to the opening. The Wawa fanbase in attendance didn't surprise him.

"They're just giving their support. It's good for the community," he said.

Wawa started the celebration a day early on Wednesday with an invitation-only "Taste of Wawa" event held at the store. Free coffee will be available at the store through Sept. 29.

The chain plans to open other stores later this year in York, Dover, Hanover and East Pennsboro Township. At least a dozen stores will be open by the end of 2025 in Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Lycoming, Northumberland, Union and York counties.

Originally Published: September 19, 2024 at 2:42 p.m.