Western communities Wawa fans: Your time has come.
A long-awaited location of the popular convenience store chain is finally set to open, with a grand opening at 8 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 31, at 8115 Southern Blvd., just west of Florida’s Turnpike.
This is the first Wawa to serve the area near Royal Palm Beach and Wellington.
The location on the northwest corner of Southern and Benoist Farms Road has seemingly been under construction for years, and I frequently get asked when it will open. Well … now we know.
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According to an event listing on Wawa’s Facebook page, the grand opening on Thursday will include free coffee, an appearance by the brand’s Wally Goose mascot and free T-shirts for the first 100 customers in line at 8 a.m. There will be a ribbon-cutting at 10:15 a.m., and the celebration includes a Hoagies for Heroes competition, where first responders compete in a hoagie-building contest to raise money for local organizations.
Another Wawa on Southern Boulevard, on the northeast corner with B Road in Loxahatchee Groves, is also set to open later this year, a Wawa spokesperson told me a few weeks ago.
What’s the big deal about Wawa? It’s hard to explain unless you’ve been to one. The hoagies are delicious, and the coffee is fresh, which is a big bonus when you’re on the road and looking for a decent meal. Wawa stores also have some of the cleanest bathrooms I’ve found in a gas station setting. When I’m on a road trip and need to make a pit stop, I look for a Wawa. The chain also has pretty decent gas prices, which is really saying something with inflation.
The grand opening in Palm Beach County is one of four for Wawa on Thursday, with two other stores opening in Florida — at 1851 N. Federal Highway in Hollywood and 970 Cassat Ave. in Jacksonville — and one in New Jersey.
Other Wawa stores opening this year in Florida, according to Wawa’s website:
- 7785 Palm Parkway, Orlando
- 1675 W. Oakland Park Blvd., Oakland Park
- 3561 Spring Park Road, Jacksonville
- 1055 Sun Market Place, North Port
- 14560 Chancellor Blvd., Port Charlotte
- 2500 U.S. 1, St. Augustine
- 54 Cypress Edge Dr., St. Johns
- 7870 W. Flagler St., Miami
- 16971 Aaron Warnek Place, Fort Myers
- 4495 U.S. 1, Vero Beach
- 8380 S.W. Highway 200, Ocala
- Martin Highway and High Meadows Avenue, Palm City
- 1245 Grumman Place, Titusville
- 1509 E. Oak St., Arcadia
- Midway and Selvitz roads, Fort Piece
- 106 S. State Road 7, Hollywood
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