Our First visit to Buc-ees

[nickaluch]

Indeed. The location in nearby Port Lavaca, TX is no bigger than your average 7-11. My wife was ticked off the first time we stopped there....there was hardly anything to waste money on!

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If they opened one by me it would be 1/4 the size of that land is very expensive with high commercial property taxes. Any desirable spot is taken with no open land surrounding it to expand if you can get the spot in the first place

 

[Pew]

How is Buc-ees pronounced?

Never seen one, let alone been in one

With either a hard 'C' or a soft 'C', depending on what you want to talk about

 

[k1xv]

As the late Yogi Berra once said, "Nobody goes to Buc-ees any more because its now too crowded"

 

[2005jettatdi]

I'm in southern California and unfortunately the closest buc ees is in tx.

There is currently one right on I-40 in Amarillo. One is going in just down the street from you in Goodyear, AZ. 120 pumps, set to open June 2026.

I have been to the Melissa, TX Buc-ees three times now. Exit 45 off Hwy 75. Very clean, friendly staff, fantastic sausage and jerky. Even if the check out line seems long, they get you right on through. I bought a beef sandwich for lunch the next day and was very pleased, especially compared to the price of food where I was for the day in downtown Dallas. I am sure it will not be long before I buy the brisket sandwich.

BTW, $25 for a tour of the 6th Floor of the Book Depository is high, but I had to see it. I was in 5th grade that day in 1963 and will never forget it.

 

[RDY4WAR]

I get it but if you ever ate fast food in your life. This is hands and feet above fast food which my wife and I detest. Actually above most diners and what some people consider deli's. You would have to actually walk in the place to understand.
We are spoiled too but for those rare times you might need something on the road like you say you would be spoiled by this place .... this is quality stuff and why they are so successful.

Here you go, great short video... (notice the Tesla Chargers

Agreed on the food. I'm picky when it comes to BBQ, but I will tear up a brisket sandwich from Buc-ee's.

 

[02SE]

The wife and I have been in several of them. Our opinion was that they were okay, but over-hyped, and crowded. Would it ever be a travel destination for us? Yeah, no, we have interests that extend beyond gas stations...

 

[SOUNDMAN5000]

I've been to the one in Texas, you arent missing anything. My last trip to Houston, we got done at the plant four hours earlier than we planned, so instead of three hours to get from the plant to IAH for the flight home, I found myself having seven hours to fill. There was a Buc-ees right down the street from my hotel so I figured I could at least kill an hour in there. Nope. I think I was in there seven minutes maybe...? Nice bathrooms, plenty of t-shirts and nick knacks and what have you's, nothing terribly interesting. I walked around a bit, all the while thinking "This is what people get so excited about?" I bought a pack of M&M's and a Coke Zero, and headed out, a bit confused and dumbfounded as to what all the hype is about. Now I had six hours and 53 minutes to burn. Drove down to Galveston and took a nice one hour stroll on the most visually unappealing beach this side of Somalia, and said screw it, knocked the sand off my shoes and headed to the airport. The 747 that roared 150 feet over my head while I was getting gas by the airport was way more interesting than the overhyped gas station I was at a few hours earlier.

Perhaps Buc-ees may appeal more to the larger, traveling Americans when on vacation such as myself? as I assure you, when I visit I walk out with a LOT MORE than a bag of M&M's and a Coke Zero... Like a few Brisket's for the road and ALWAYS a bag of Beaver Nuggets at a minimum!

 

[chainblu]

When I make trips to/from my property in TN, I usually stop in one direction depending on the time of day. If it's a weekend... forget it!

 

[loneryder]

They also do brisket better than 90% of Virginia BBQ joints.

Brisket is a Texas originated dish.

 

[JMJNet]

What kind of oil did they have?

Brisket oil

 

[Pablo]

Brisket is a Texas originated dish.

smoked yes

but NOT corned beef and pastrami

 

[loneryder]

You are rather fortunate, my friend. FWIW the guy who made this video nailed it:



His other videos are similarly good IMO.

 

[CleanSump]

LMAO what

You must not have a Cracker Barrel restaurant in your area. They have a countryish, antique sort of theme with old fishing gear and farm implements on the walls. Big controversy ensued when corporate decided to change the decor in the restaurants and modernized them. People claimed it was "Woke" removing the old American country store theme stuff.
It was just a business decision to appeal to a broader clientele; nothing "Woke" about it, but you know people when you mess with their comfort zone.

 

[panthermike]

Such a cool store. Stopped by one in Texas when I was there for work and was blown away by how much they have. Both of my kids had asked if I could get them a shark tooth necklace and I had forgotten about it. Well, Buc-ees had a pink and a blue one! Got my wife a Dolly Parton mug to.

 

[BHopkins]

Three years is a long time. Unrelated, but somewhat similar, when Costco built a new store in my area, their construction crew had the new building up and functional in what struck me as record time. I suspect they use a somewhat standard layout, and the construction crew and supply people know just what material to bring in and when. Super efficient.

Agreed. This is based upon a couple news articles I saw, where it was reported that the Buc-ee's would open about 2 1/2 years after groundbreaking. I don't think they have broke ground yet, so I'm speculating that it will now be spring before they do so.

My wife loves it. The bathrooms are clean which means a lot.

She enjoys the brisket sandwiches. I really don't like the long lines to everything but that's unavoidable.

Oh, it is absolutely avoidable. Go somewhere else. While admittedly, a lot of gas stations make no effort to keep clean restrooms, Buc-ee's has no exclusive claim to clean restrooms.

Like so many other businesses, the more they spread across the national landscape the less special they become. Buc-ees used to be something of a rare treat as you traversed Texas, but they've seemingly been sprouting up everywhere and the novelty has long worn off for many.

I strongly prefer The Texan...which is only in Texas. It's very similar, but the stores are about half the size and they actually have a seating area for patrons to enjoy their food. Much more manageable than Buc-ees. We're getting a new store at the entrance to the Corpus Christi airport, which will be a welcome addition.

https://thetexanstores.com/

There is a similar store called Wally's in Pontiac, IL (on I-55) and another in Fenton, MO (on I-44). It's OK, I guess, but is obviously a midwestern copy of Buc-ees.

https://www.wallys.com/

Yup. This has happened to many other businesses. This was at least partially what led to the demise of Hard Rock Cafe. While they are still in business, they aren't the destination, like they used to be. Bass Pro Shop is another.

 

[Chris142]

One is going in just down the street from you in Goodyear, AZ. 120 pumps, set to open June 2026.

Still a little out of my way on my way home

 

[opus1]

No different than "Bucky's" pronunciation.

In my neck of the woods, there were a number of Mobil stations with a "Bucky's" convenience store. Not affiliated in any way. I think they've all been converted to Casey's now.

 

[MrJayhawk]

I’ve been in all of 1 Buc-ees and it felt like Walmart and QuikTrip had a child…..

 

[Hall]

The location in nearby Port Lavaca, TX

That's the same one I showed I Googled which ones were non-huge and that's the first one mentioned.

 

[Hall]

Perhaps Buc-ees may appeal more to the larger, traveling Americans when on vacation such as myself? as I assure you, when I visit I walk out with a LOT MORE than a bag of M&M's and a Coke Zero... Like a few Brisket's for the road and ALWAYS a bag of Beaver Nuggets at a minimum!

Supposedly the average amount spent INSIDE by people (I'd say families) is $60-70. I can confirm it's pretty spot on for my family, each time !!