Wawa is celebrating its 59th birthday on April 13 with Wawa Day. The convenience-store chain is offering one free hot coffee of any size to all customers.
Also, as a part of its Day Brightener campaign, one customer at each Wawa location, chosen by the staff, will be crowned a Day Brightener and receive a sash, a mug and free coffee for a week.
“When Wawa opened its doors on April 16, 1964, our founder, Grahame Wood, imagined a place that would provide trusted quality products, convenience and care to local friends and neighbors,” said Chris Gheysens, CEO of Wawa. “Now, 59 years later, Wawa associates are proud to carry out this vision by being ‘Day Brighteners’ in their communities each and every day. On April 13, we invite our customers to celebrate our rich history, growth and unwavering commitment to fulfilling lives, and we hope the stories we share put a smile on faces and inspire others to brighten days in their community.”
The chain plans to honor associates as well. Customers had the chance to nominate employees with a positive story at the beginning of the year, and more than 300 submissions were entered. Ten associates were chosen and will be honored in person and on social media.
Additionally, the Wawa, Pennsylvania-based chain is donating $50,000 to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.
The chain opened as Wawa Food Market in 1964 in Folsom, Pennsylvania. In 1985, Wawa had 300 stores. It opened its first fuel store in 1996, and in 2006, its fuel store count reached 200. Today, Wawa’s total store count is 988.
- Wawa Inc. is No. 9 on CSP’s 2023 Top 40 update to the 2022 Top 202 ranking of convenience store chains by store count. Watch for the full 2023 Top 202 in June.
Wawa has more than 950 c-stores in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Florida and Washington, D.C.
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