“I heard they clean them every single hour.” (According to Junck, it might be more frequently than that, depending on a store’s volume of customers. “The bathrooms! Everybody loves clean bathrooms,” Fry says. “Even if you’re not running out of gas, you’re stopping at Buc-ee’s.” Part of the draw is thanks to the legendary status of its facilities. “You want to plan your trip so that you run out of gas right there,” says Texas-born chef and restaurateur Ford Fry. Considering that Texans travel more than 55 billion miles of interstate highway in a year, Buc-ee’s locations are packed at all hours of the day. Strategically placed an hour or so outside of major city centers like Austin and Dallas, most Buc-ee’s locations serve as the first or last stop on a trip out of town: The chain’s rabidly obsessed following includes fans who stop at Buc-ee’s on every single road trip. Since it was founded, Buc-ee’s has expanded to 32 locations, all of which are located in Texas. “The clean restrooms, a staff that is friendly, and a clean and fully stocked store with no empty shelves: Those basic objectives have never left our culture.” “The first store is what I would call a typical convenience store, except for a couple of things that have always been our focus at Buc-ee’s,” says Kraig Junck, director of food and beverage. In 1982, Arch “Beaver” Aplin and Don Wasek opened the first Buc-ee’s in Lake Jackson, Texas, and though they couldn’t have guessed it would become a much-loved super-chain, many of the store’s now-famous features were present in that OG location. When the chain opened its Fort Worth, Texas store in May 2016, fans were so enthusiastic about its arrival that they lined up to wait for the 6 a.m. The chain inspires such loyalty that Buc-ee’s sells a popular line of t-shirts, emblazoned with its unnamed beaver mascot and cheeky slogans like “my overbite is sexy!” and “power to the beaver.” It’s not uncommon to see yellow bumper stickers stuck to the bumpers of cars on Texas highways, beckoning you to “Follow me to Buc-ee’s.” There are cups, throw blankets, children’s toys, and infant onesies, among other branded souvenirs. Much of that goodwill comes from a comforting reliability in knowing that every time you head down the highway, a bag of Beaver Nuggets and beef jerky awaits. Home to hundreds of gas pumps, the certified cleanest bathrooms in America, and a dizzying array of snacks and prepared foods, Buc-ee’s holds a special place in the heart of every traveling Texan. That is, of course, until you see the bright lights and friendly beaver logo at Buc-ee’s, both the world’s largest (literally: Its New Braunfels, TX location occupies more than 68,000 square feet) and what many Texans believe is the world’s best gas station. This isn’t a tale exclusive to the Lone Star State, but Texas’s massive size exacerbates the problem, meaning that the distance between you and a good meal can sometimes be several hundred miles. As you drive the actual thousands of miles that comprise Texas’s highway system, dining options can be decidedly hit or miss.
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