The wait is over: Buc-ee's opens first Arizona location in Goodyear
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Eager Buc-ee's fans await the opening Monday of the chain's first Arizona location in Goodyear. Photo: Jeremy Duda/Axios
Arizona is officially Buc-ee's country after the Texas-based — and Texas-sized — travel center chain opened its first Arizona location in Goodyear on Monday.
Why it matters: Buc-ee's is a unique institution with an intensely loyal customer base, which was thrilled to see it move west into Arizona.
The big picture: Buc-ee's now has 56 locations across the U.S.
- Offerings at the travel centers range from the snacks and drinks you'd expect at any convenience store to fresh-made food and treats — they're famous for their brisket — along with clothing, toys and home decor.
- There's also a plethora of gear featuring the company's iconic Buc-ee the Beaver mascot.
State of play: The new location, at Bullard Avenue and Interstate 10, opened its doors at 6am on Monday boasting 74,000 square feet inside and 120 fueling stations outside.
- But the parking lot opened at midnight, and some beaver fans got there hours earlier to stake out an overnight place in line.
- By the time I arrived around 5:30am, hundreds of people waited in multiple lines, some wearing Buc-ee's gear, including the occasional beaver adult onesie.
Several people I spoke with were well-seasoned Buc-ee's fans excited to be part of the grand opening.
- "It's an experience. It's like going to Disney in the morning when they open up the gates," joked Diana Gutierrez, 74, of Whittier, California, who came to Goodyear with her son for the opening
Dorie Haws of Provo, Utah, has long planned her Buc-ee's trip around her retirement from Brigham Young University, where she taught early childhood education.
- Haws retired last week and traveled to Arizona to attend the grand opening with a nephew who lives in Buckeye.
- "We just are crazy Buc-ee fans," said Haws, who's been to the chain's travel centers numerous times in Texas.
Others experienced Buc-ee's for the first time on Monday.
- "I wanted to come out and see what was going on and see what the hype was all about," said Marc Rodway, who lives about a mile away.
- Khyle Martin of Surprise said it "absolutely" lived up to the hype.
- "I got Beaver Nuggets. I got a brisket taco. I'm just grabbing everything," said Martin, who wore a beaver onesie he bought at the store.
17-year-old Ace Tsaturian, an Armenian who recently moved to Peoria from Moscow, said he'd never seen anything so "good and beautiful" at a gas station.
- He told Axios he'd never heard of Buc-ee's, but a friend told him about the event and he decided, "I have to go here because America is a great culture. ... And I wanted to see how great it is."
Monday was my first Buc-ee's experience, too.
- Thanks to the power of branding, my 6-year-old already knew who Buc-ee Beaver was, so I went in with a request for a keychain and t-shirt.
- I grabbed an assortment of treats for my family, including a bag of the popular Beaver Nuggets, which are crunchy caramel corn puffs.
- The brisket sandwich lived up to the hype — "It's the way we make brisket in Texas," Buc-ee's CEO and co-owner Arch "Beaver" Aplin told the crowd during a ribbon-cutting ceremony — and I sampled a piece of the hot and spicy jerky, which was incredibly tender.