Get ready, NC. Here comes Wawa

What’s happening: The wildly popular convenience store chain has a location in Elizabeth City (in eastern North Carolina) under contract, and it’s still working through the land development process, Wawa spokesperson Jen Wolf told Axios. The company doesn’t have a timeline yet for construction.

• The Elizabeth City store is in a building that previously housed a restaurant called Pier 17, WOBX reported.
• Work also began this month for a Wawa in Kill Devil Hills, in the Outer Banks, per the station. Wolf did not provide any details about that location, however.

“We are expanding to North Carolina and actively looking for sites and have indicated our first openings would be in 2024,” Wolf said. She did not say whether the company is considering Charlotte.

Why it matters: Wawa is one of those national chains that transplants are always clamoring for. The Pennsylvania-based company has a cult-like following and is beloved for menu items like hoagies and mac and cheese, noted Axios’ Emma Way.

• Wawa has about 1,000 stores throughout the East Coast.
• Wawa first entered the Florida market in 2012 with a store in Orlando.
• The company’s closest location is in Petersburg, Virginia — about four hours from Charlotte.

Of note: We’ll be sure to update you as we learn more about Wawa’s expansion into North Carolina.