LOWER BURRELL, Pa. -- Sheetz Inc. held the ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday for its newest "convenience restaurant," located in Lower Burrell, Pa. Louie Sheetz, executive vice president of marketing, and Ryan Sheetz, a director at corporate headquarters, joined local officials at the new 4,800-square-foot store for the opening.
Area residents waited in line before daybreak to be among the first 50 to receive $100 Sheetz gift cards, the company said.
"Each new store we open is drawing larger and larger crowds, with many people arriving hours before the official opening to be part of the excitement," said Louie Sheetz, executive vice president of marketing. "Our company got its start in Altoona, Pa., where we have our corporate headquarters. This will be our 219th store location in the state."
The new Sheetz will provide an economic boost to the area, creating 40 to 45 new full and part time jobs, and add $3.5 million taxable property value to the city and county tax base. Additionally, Sheetz has been a supporter of the Special Olympics for more than 20 years, and it made a $2,500 donation to the local chapter of Special Olympics Pennsylvania as part of the opening festivities.
The new Sheetz will be open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and offer fresh food items such as Sheetz's signature Made To Order (MTO) items that include Angus beef burgers, premium grilled chicken sandwiches, freshly made salads, French fries, onion rings and more. The new store will also feature the MTGo! and Shweetz Bakery lines of sandwiches, wraps, donuts and muffins, along with Sheetz Bros. Coffeez, a full-service espresso and smoothie bar staffed by a trained barista where customers can order hand-made specialty coffee drinks including lattes, cappuccinos and mochas--hot, frozen or iced.
Meanwhile, a new Sheetz store planned south of Martinsburg, W.Va., is expected to include drive-thru service, a unique feature among the Altoona, Pa.,-based company's string of stores in the region, officials said, according to a report by the Herald-Mail.
The 6,489-square-foot store with a carwash, gasoline pumps and drive-thru on 4.07 acres, which would join at least 10 other locations in the Eastern Panhandle, could break ground later this year.
With more than $5 billion in annual revenue and more than 14,500 employees, Sheetz operates 415 locations throughout Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland, Virginia, Ohio and North Carolina.
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