Buc-ee's facts for kids
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The Buc-ee's convenience store in New Braunfels, Texas, is the third-largest convenience store in the world.
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| Private | |
| Industry |
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| Founded | 1982 |
| Founders | Don Wasek Arch "Beaver" Aplin III |
| Headquarters |
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U.S.
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Number of locations
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54 |
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Area served
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United States |
| Products | Fuel, convenience food, etc. |
Buc-ee's is a super popular chain of huge convenience stores and gas stations in the United States. It was started by Arch "Beaver" Aplin III in 1982 in Clute, Texas. The first big travel center opened in Luling, Texas, in 2003.
Buc-ee's started expanding outside of Texas in 2018. Now, you can find these stores in many states like Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee, Colorado, Missouri, Mississippi, and Virginia. More stores are planned for other states too!
As of June 2024, the biggest Buc-ee's is in Luling, Texas. These stores are famous for their super clean bathrooms and their friendly beaver mascot. Buc-ee's does not allow big 18-wheeler trucks in their parking lots. This is because their parking areas are designed for regular cars and families.
People really love Buc-ee's. Many customers visit often and have been going there for a long time. Their bathrooms are especially famous. In 2012, Buc-ee's won an award for having the "Best Restroom in America"!
Contents
The Story of Buc-ee's
In 1982, Arch "Beaver" Aplin helped open the very first Buc-ee's store in Clute, Texas. He came up with the name "Buc-ee's" by combining his own childhood nickname, "Beaver," with the name of his Labrador Retriever dog, Buck. He also liked the cartoon beaver mascot from an old toothpaste brand called Ipana.
Buc-ee's grew bigger and opened its first large travel center in Luling, Texas, in 2003.
Growing Bigger and Bigger
In 2012, Buc-ee's opened a huge travel center in New Braunfels, Texas. For a while, this was the largest convenience store in the world! It was about 68,000 square feet.
But then, on June 26, 2023, a new Buc-ee's opened in Kodak, Tennessee, which was even bigger at 74,707 square feet. This store became the new world's largest convenience store.
However, the record didn't last long! On June 10, 2024, a brand new store opened in Luling, Texas, taking the title of the world's largest. This new Luling store is 75,000 square feet! The New Braunfels location, though, still holds the award for "Best Restroom in America" from 2012.
Buc-ee's also expanded into the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex area. The first store there opened in Terrell, Texas, on June 22, 2015. More stores followed in Fort Worth in 2016 and Denton in 2018. Another Texas store opened in Melissa, Texas, in 2019.
Expanding Outside of Texas
Buc-ee's started looking to open stores outside of Texas. In 2016, they considered a location in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, but those plans were later canceled.
Then, in 2017, Buc-ee's announced plans for its first store outside Texas in Daytona Beach, Florida. There were some delays, but eventually, the first Florida store opened in St. Augustine, Florida, on February 23, 2021. The Daytona Beach store opened soon after, on March 22, 2021.
Where to Find Buc-ee's Stores
As of July 2025, Buc-ee's has 54 stores open. You can find them in Texas, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Missouri, South Carolina, Tennessee, Colorado, Mississippi, and Virginia. In January 2024, the company announced its first store in North Carolina. A store also opened in Mississippi on June 9, 2025.
| State | Locations |
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| Alabama |
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| Georgia |
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| Florida |
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| Tennessee |
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| Kentucky |
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| Missouri |
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| South Carolina |
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| Colorado |
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| Mississippi |
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| Virginia |
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What You Can Find at Buc-ee's
Delicious Food
Every Buc-ee's travel center has a bakery, a brisket bar, a fudge bar, and lots of snacks. You can get soda, coffee, and Icee drinks too. They have many kinds of candy and beef jerky, even a beef jerky bar!
Some popular food items include:
- Cookies and other pastries from the bakery.
- BBQ brisket sandwiches and chicken sandwiches.
- Breakfast tacos, bowls, burritos, and sandwiches.
- Packaged fruit, vegetables, and desserts.
- Ice cream and Dippin' Dots.
Buc-ee's also makes its own snacks, like "Beaver chips" (potato chips made right there). Their most famous snack is "Beaver Nuggets," which are flavored corn puff snacks. These are their best-selling product!
Cool Souvenirs and More
Besides food and drinks, Buc-ee's sells lots of fun souvenirs and other items. They have their own clothing brand with t-shirts, hats, and even swimwear. You can also find plush toys of the Buc-ee's beaver!
They sell things for your kitchen, like cast iron skillets and mugs. You can also find travel products, phone accessories, and sometimes even hunting gear or outdoor items like grills.
Fuel for Your Car
All Buc-ee's travel centers have a huge number of gas pumps, usually between 80 and 120! They offer different types of gasoline and diesel. Some stores even have ethanol-free fuel.
Charging for Electric Cars
Buc-ee's also has charging stations for electric cars, especially Tesla Superchargers. As of February 2023, many Buc-ee's locations had these chargers. More Superchargers have been added since then in states like Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Texas.
Car Washes
As of July 2024, ten Buc-ee's locations have car washes. Most of these are in Texas, but there's also one in Alabama, one in Tennessee, and one in Florida. The car wash in Katy, Texas, is super long. It holds the record for the longest car wash in the world!
Legal Battles Over the Beaver Logo
Buc-ee's is very protective of its famous beaver logo.
In 2014, Buc-ee's sued another Texas store called "Frio Beaver." Frio Beaver had a logo that also showed a beaver in a yellow circle, which looked very similar to Buc-ee's. They settled the case, and Frio Beaver agreed to stop using that logo.
In 2016, Buc-ee's sued "Choke Canyon BBQ" because their logo, a grinning alligator in a yellow circle, looked too much like the Buc-ee's logo. Choke Canyon also called their new stores "Bucky's." Buc-ee's won this case in 2018, and Choke Canyon had to change its logo.
Buc-ee's also had a disagreement with a Nebraska store chain called "Bucky's" in 2017. The two companies had an agreement to stay in their own states. This lawsuit was later dismissed.
In 2023, some fan art combining the Buc-ee's beaver with a character called Hatsune Miku became popular online. Buc-ee's asked the artist to stop selling stickers with this artwork, and the artist agreed.
See also
- Highway oasis
- Iowa 80
- Stuckey's
- Wally's
