Wawa Vs Sheetz: A New Study Shows Which Chain Customers Love The Most

Anyone who lives in Pennsylvania knows the most brutal rivalry in the state isn't Philly versus Pittsburgh, or the Flyers and the Penguins, it's the battle for convenience store supremacy between Wawa and Sheetz. Both shops are pioneers of the increasingly popular trend for higher-end food from convenience stores and gas stations, both inspire a fierce loyalty among customers, and having been founded on opposite ends of the Keystone State, the two have been clashing for regional supremacy for years. If you had an opinion on which was better, the truth was you were probably biased by where you grew up, and any debate felt fruitless. But now a true customer survey has given us an answer on which chain people prefer, and the answer by a hair is Wawa.

The result comes from the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) Convenience Store Study of 2024, which surveyed attitudes towards a larger group of chains all over the country. Wawa didn't just best Sheetz, but came in as the number one overall convenience store for customer satisfaction with a score of 82, three points ahead of its rival. Sheetz actually tied for fourth, with Midwestern shop Quiktrip grabbing second at 81, and Murphy USA and Southern chain Buc-ee's tying for third at 80. No matter the rankings, the study highlighted a big trend in food: Customers are increasingly ranking food quality as important as convenience, and these convenience store chains are surpassing even fast food rivals in that category.

Wawa topping these rankings shouldn't come as a huge surprise, as the chain's reputation has traveled far beyond its still relatively small footprint on the East Coast. Founded in 1902 in Delaware County, Pennsylvania (not far from Philadelphia), Wawa's surprisingly high-quality food has inspired eastern Pennsylvania natives to hold it up as a source of regional pride the same way California embraces In-N-Out or Boston does Dunkin'. Wawa has a truly expansive menu with pizza and pastries, bowls and burritos, but the big stars remain the breakfast sandwiches and hoagies. Combine that with cheap prices, endless rows of snacks, and some of the best coffee in fast food, and there's no reason to stop for gas anywhere else. In fact, it's kind of shocking it's taken this long for Wawa to launch an expansion into the Midwest.

And while competitors may not be copying Wawa's success with food, they have clearly been inspired by it. The menu at Sheetz is equally expansive with cheekily named "Schnack Wrapz" and appetizer samplers alongside convenience store staples. Similarly, Buc-ee's features brisket sandwiches, a wall of beef jerky, and even special store-brand snacks like "Beaver Nugget" corn puffs. This means customers aren't just rating these new-wave convenience stores higher for food quality. The top stores like Wawa and Sheetz are steadily gaining on fast food in ratings for variety. Who knew that gas stations were the future of fast food?