SALISBURY, N.C. — Wawa no longer operates any standalone drive-thru locations within its network of roughly 1,100 convenience stores. The retailer closed its remaining freestanding drive-thru in Largo, Fla., in September, marking the conclusion of a five-year test of this format.
Wawa first launched the drive-thru concept in 2020 at a store in Westampton, N.J., featuring dual lanes, digital menu boards, and a QR code ordering option. In 2021, the company expanded to standalone drive-thru locations without in-store access and eventually tested several of these standalone sites in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
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The New Jersey location has been changed to a pickup-only site, while the other test stores have completely closed.
“We are constantly testing new concepts to meet the needs of our customers, including store design,” Wawa said.
Industry feedback indicates that the model faces difficulties. Margaret Sotrop, vice president of design services for GSP Retail, visited the Largo site last year and mentioned that the transaction took about six minutes from order to pickup, which felt too long for busy drive-thru customers. She also noted that a wide menu and the absence of mobile order pickup decreased the efficiency needed in a high-speed service lane.
Drive-thrus remain a viable option for convenience operators like Sheetz and GetGo Cafe + Market. However, industry analysts note that the value proposition can be challenging. Drive-thrus often require more real estate and operational complexity than the return justifies, especially for fuel-less stores.
