On Sunday I took a trip up 290 to go check out my favorite “convenience store,” if you can call Buc-ee’s that. With the friendly staff, wide selection of delicious road trip snack foods, fresh sandwiches, big 44oz fountain drinks, all the Jerky you can stand, and some of the cleanest bathrooms around, you can hardly put it in the same category as some of the “other guys,” i.e., dirty gas stations that you stop at on the long trips because you don’t have a choice.
So as we are approaching the Meuschke Road exit, I can’t help but notice the huge red and yellow balloon atop the gas pumps area and the huge smiling face of the Buc-ee’s logo. We pull in and I am amazed at the bustle – people getting gas, people coming in and out of the store, vacuuming their cars, cars entering and exiting the car wash (which I hear is one of the biggest in Texas), and yes, numerous customers stopping to take pictures with the 6-foot tall Buc-ee’s mascot at the door. (It wasn’t just me!)
Inside, I was like a kid in a candy shop, checking out all the delectable treats and wound up settling on a few bags of jerky (sweet and spicy is my favorite) and Sweet Energy (which I think must include some sort of addictive drug, because I can’t get enough of it!). For lunch, I ordered a BBQ sliced pork sandwich and Dr. Pepper Chiller – the perfect Texan meal!
The last adventure on this trip was the car wash.
My car is usually pretty dirty. I can’t seem to keep it clean. I don’t think this photo does the dirt justice. Well, luckily, I got to try out the ultimate car wash experience, and I am sure my car thanks me for it.
Since it is hands-free, I even got to eat my lunch inside while I got my car washed. Some kind of awesome multi-tasking, right? Also included was a free vacuum token, so I was able to clean my car, inside and out! It came out so shiny, even the tires look brand new. I was so impressed.
All in all, I can say that it was a delightful way to spend a Sunday afternoon. I only wish I live a little closer so I could visit more often.
Buc-ee’s Facebook Link
Buc-ee’s Flickr Link
World News with Charles Gibson / Buc-ee’s Key to Success? Clean Bathrooms When Beaver Aplin asked us to create a series of billboards for Buc-ee’s, I thought, “Great, we can do some really cool stuff!” When he told me he wanted to focus on promoting the “cleanest bathrooms in the world,” I sniffed a great campaign! Four years later, Buc-ee’s billboards and “restrooms fit for a king” are synonynous with the brand. So much so that here’s what ABC News had to say… VIDEO
They didn’t show this particular billboard in the newscast but I think this one pretty much sums it all up.
