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As fuel stations go, there are few chains which have managed to seize the eye of vacationers — and eaters — like Buc-ee’s. The Texas-born chain is a freeway oasis, boasting a slew of fresh bogs, a dizzying array of snacks and ready meals, and tons of merch emblazoned with the chipper face of its mascot, a beaver named Bucky.
Based in 1982, the chain slowly constructed a neighborhood cult following and in 2001, proprietor Arch “Beaver” Aplin expanded the comfort retailer right into a full-fledged journey middle in Luling, Texas. Extra places popped up throughout the state within the following years, and by 2019, the chain expanded exterior of the state with a location in Robertsdale, Alabama. Buc-ee’s has continued increasing at a powerful clip since then, opening places in Georgia, Florida, and shortly, Tennessee.
Is it potential, 40 places later, that we’ve hit peak Buc-ee’s? I believe so. I’m a former Buc-ee’s fanatic, however my final a number of journeys to the shop have been way more of an annoyance than a salve on my road-weary bones. As I drove the highways in Texas through the holidays, heading again east to go to household, principally each freeway I encountered had its personal Buc-ee’s location. Now, you possibly can scarcely drive greater than 100 miles down the state’s main highways with out seeing these cheeky billboards emblazoned with slogans like “Stopping the pee dance since 1982” and “My overbite is horny.”
Again when there have been just a few Buc-ee’s places in Texas, visiting this large fuel station felt like an precise deal with. One might simply drop 100 bucks on several types of gummies, jerky, and fudge. The clear bogs have been an unbelievable various to the broke-down fuel stations and occasional truck stops that dot the panorama alongside I-35. Now, although, there’s a Buc-ee’s on each single freeway that passes by means of a serious metropolis. It’s now not a concrete oasis showing like a mirage to parched vacationers; it simply feels just like the magic has dissipated.
However the demand hasn’t. Maybe that is simply my model of snottily having fun with a band earlier than everybody else thought they have been cool — now that everybody has realized the marvel of Buc-ee’s, it now not appears like a secret identified solely by wanderers of the Texas roadways. Once I went to go to household in Louisiana over Christmas, the place the closest Buc-ee’s is a full two hours away, I noticed extra folks sporting Bucky the Beaver t-shirts in a single journey to the greenback retailer than I had previously 12 months in Texas. Buc-ee’s has turn out to be a vacationer vacation spot in its personal proper. First-timers gawk endlessly on the array of Buc-ee’s merch on provide — from bikinis to onesies for each infants and adults to dwelling decor — and that basically clogs up the works if you’re simply making an attempt to go to the lavatory and seize a snack for the highway.
My disenchantment with the chain may also have one thing to do with the truth that founder Arch Aplin is a monetary supporter of the a number of the state’s most loathsome politicians. He’s given greater than 1,000,000 {dollars} to Gov. Greg Abbott, who signed the nation’s most restrictive abortion ban into legislation in 2021, and donated to the marketing campaign for Legal professional Basic Ken Paxton, who’s presently underneath indictment for alleged securities fraud. The donations sparked a minor controversy, with some Democrats vowing to boycott the chain, however the boycott by no means gained a lot traction.
Nonetheless, it’s exhausting for me to justify placing cash within the pockets of a person who’s keen to assist politicians that actively spend their days pondering of recent methods to marginalize folks of colour, trans folks, girls, and disabled folks. Each time I’m irritated by having to attend for a loo stall in a crowded Buc-ee’s or they’re out of the rooster salad I like, my irritation is compounded by figuring out that I’m going by means of all this hassle only for a few of that cash to finish up within the arms of people that actively wish to hurt me.
And whereas this moral dilemma is true for therefore many locations of comfort — like In-N-Out, Chick-fil-A, and McDonald’s — it’s a lot more durable to keep away from Buc-ee’s if you’ve been on the interstate for six hours and desperately have to pee. The opposite choices (learn: regular fuel stations) are universally worse, each when it comes to cleanliness and meals choices. I’m going to Buc-ee’s solely as wanted now, however its ubiquity makes avoiding the chain more durable as every new location opens its doorways.
Truthfully, I’d nonetheless be turning on Buc-ee’s, even when Aplin was a hardcore leftist. Because the chain turns into extra ubiquitous, its places have devolved into absolute shitshows. The car parking zone is packed, and since the place is so crowded, it’s not unusual to see drivers cussing one another out over parking spots. Regardless that the shops are tens of hundreds of sq. ft typically, they’re nonetheless in some way too small to suit all of the individuals who wish to take a selfie with the bronze Bucky out entrance earlier than grabbing lunch.
The vibe is simply anxious, whether or not that’s as a result of persons are simply actually intense about discovering the right gummy worms off the huge Wall of Gummies, or just because they’re crammed collectively like sardines (sardines which can be usually mask-less) in the midst of a pandemic. As soon as a sanctuary for weary vacationers, Buc-ee’s has turn out to be yet one more bump within the highway.
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