WAWA, Pa. -- Wawa Inc. is expanding its delivery network with the help of San Francisco-based Uber Eats. The third-party delivery company services eight stores in Wawa’s Pennsylvania, Florida and Washington, D.C., markets.
The Wawa, Pa.-based retailer is no stranger to the third-party model. The convenience-store chain began a partnership with Grubhub, Chicago, last fall with six stores in Pennsylvania. Earlier this year, Wawa expanded its Grubhub services to a store in New Jersey.
“We are delighted to add Uber Eats delivery service to our offering at these eight locations, making ordering Wawa products faster, easier and more accessible than ever,” said Steve Hackett, delivery project manager for Wawa. “Since we began piloting delivery service last fall, feedback from customers on this added convenience has been extremely positive. We’re thrilled to reach even more customers in our marketplace through our partnership with Uber Eats, a technology our customers are already using. It’s exciting to get even closer to our goal of offering delivery to one-quarter of our stores by year’s end.”
As early as this week, the c-store brand will begin offering Uber Eats food delivery at locations in Philadephia, Plymouth Meeting, Ardmore and Clifton Heights, Pa.; Washington, D.C.; and Tampa and two stores in Orlando, Fla.
Fans can use Uber Eats or Grubhub to order at a total of 15 Wawa locations. Most of the brand’s foodservice items, as well as a selection of beverages, chips, candy and desserts, are available for delivery. The services have been particularly popular during the weekend and dinner time frames, when macaroni and cheese, hoagies, soups and sides are hot ticket items, according to the company.
Other convenience retailers have also experimented with third-party delivery services. In February, QuikTrip launched Uber Eats at four locations in Tulsa, Okla., where the chain is based. GetGo began testing Grubhub in its headquarters city of Pittsburgh. 7-Eleven Inc., Irving, Texas, became DoorDash's first nonrestaurant partner back in 2015. It also teamed up with Postmates.
Some retailers are thwarting the third-party paradigm and its steep commissions with proprietary delivery programs. Earlier this year, San Antonio-based grocer H-E-B acquired food-delivery company Favor.
Springfield, Mo.-based independent c-store Farm 2 Counter is directly tapping Uber Eats’ gig economy drivers to build out its delivery service. Owner Paul Allen asks drivers he meets whether they would be interested in doing deliveries for him as well, he told CSP Daily News. When an order comes in, Allen sends a mass text to the drivers, and whoever responds first will take the order. He also follows up on driver performance with customer surveys and tracks delivery times.
Based in Wawa, Pa., Wawa has nearly 800 c-stores in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Florida and Washington, D.C. The chain ranked No. 9 in CSP's 2018 Top 202 list of the largest c-store chains in the United States.
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