Buc-ee's

[Zuplar]

The bathrooms are great. Really I just enjoy the ridiculousness of it on a long road trip, but I generally only ever stop once on the way to where ever I am going. They do have really good popcorn and cherry sours, though. I have a T-Shirt, again, because I enjoy the ridiculousness of it. If we had one locally, I would literally never go to it.

Really I like the one in Ennis, TX because it is about half way to Galveston and I like the one in Leed, AL because when I am pulling my boat to the lake in Alabama I need gas by then and it always has the cheapest ethanol free gas around to fill up the boat. I get in and get out pretty quick though.

I personally wish they'd build one on the East of Little Rock and/or West Memphis. All of the options to stop in Arkansas are terrible and nasty.

I just stopped at the one in Ennis on my way to Galveston 3 weeks ago because of this very reason. It's easy, we can get food, gas, go to the bathroom, walk around for 30 minutes or so, then get back to the road trip.

I've always thought Buc-ees would probably be halfway between Dallas and OKC for this reason. It's such a great stop on road trips, so putting themselves halfway between 2 commonly travel destinations is a good idea. I'd bet that when they picked Ennis, TX they knew people from OKC metro would use it going to Houston/Galveston.

I had been on the Ardmore bandwagon, but i really question if they are too big, and maybe too close to the store in Denton. If you go halfway bewtween that store and OKC, you get a little further North near Springer, OK. it's a rural community, and there are already a couple interchanges near there for easy on/off I35. If I were a Buc-ees rep I think that has some potential for a location and would capture a lot of cars going to and from OKC to DFW.

[traxx]

I'm thinking the Riverwind exit may be a prime place to put it. But that's just me playing a guessing game.

[PhiAlpha]

Well you can count out between Tulsa and OKC or OKC and Lawton. They won't get rights on the turnpike since that's already done, and who is going to want to pay to get off and back on the turnpike to go to a gas station. And the point made was that it would be at a smaller city near the metro. That's just not accessible on the turnpikes and you have to have that support infrastructure and employee base population to keep the thing going long-term.

If I were them, i'd be looking at Noble/Guthrie on 35 or El Reno/Newalla-ish on 40. Just outside of town for the cheaper large swath of land, but close enough that it's going to get support for what I mentioned above.

Denton is one of those exceptions where they put that sucker right in town. The one in Amarillo that's being built is in town (technically) but on the outskirts right before the town disappears. That's far more common than Denton.

Considering that all tolls are paid by license plate or by pikepass now and that getting off and on isn't any different than any other highway, they'd probably get off to go to Buc-ee's and not a turnpike loves.

I take the Sapulpa exit all the time to go to the QuikTrip right next to the on/off ramp and judging by how packed it always is, I'm far from the only one.

[PhiAlpha]

I'm thinking the Riverwind exit may be a prime place to put it. But that's just me playing a guessing game.

I bet it goes at or around the Ladd Rd exit a few miles to the south over Riverwind. Traffic can already get bad around the Riverwind exit but there's certainly space along the highway though to the south of the exit. The Goldsby exit could work but is set up kind of weird right now. The area around the Ladd Rd. exit is wide open, doesn't have a ton of traffic and fits the profile of where they've located a bunch of their stores just outside of the last suburb on the edge of metro areas.

I could see it being any of those three exits though before anywhere else in the state.

[mugofbeer]

I bet it goes at or around the Ladd Rd exit a few miles to the south over Riverwind. Traffic can already get bad around the Riverwind exit but there's certainly space along the highway though to the south of the exit. The Goldsby exit could work but is set up kind of weird right now. The area around the Ladd Rd. exit is wide open, doesn't have a ton of traffic and fits the profile of where they've located a bunch of their stores just outside of the last suburb on the edge of metro areas.

I could see it being any of those three exits though before anywhere else in the state.

This is a unique spot l could see it going but aren't most of their locations near a decent sized community or an exurb of a large city?

I do put my $1 on l-35 between OKC and Dallas but l bet more towards just south of Norman or near Purcell.

[PhiAlpha]

This is a unique spot l could see it going but aren't most of their locations near a decent sized community or an exurb of a large city?

I mean it’s 8-10 minutes south of the main st exit in Norman and 10 minutes north of Purcell. That seems to fit that criteria.

If the airport in Goldsby wants to sell some of their undeveloped land, there’s a spot right between both Goldsby exits that would fit it as well. That’s probably a minute or two closer.

[mugofbeer]

You are correct. I was getting Riverwind and Winstar mixed up.

[jn1780]

Considering that all tolls are paid by license plate or by pikepass now and that getting off and on isn't any different than any other highway, they'd probably get off to go to Buc-ee's and not a turnpike loves.

I take the Sapulpa exit all the time to go to the QuikTrip right next to the on/off ramp and judging by how packed it always is, I'm far from the only one.

Do they have any other location beside a turnpike? Texas has a head start with license plate billing.

[bombermwc]

Considering that all tolls are paid by license plate or by pikepass now and that getting off and on isn't any different than any other highway, they'd probably get off to go to Buc-ee's and not a turnpike loves.

I take the Sapulpa exit all the time to go to the QuikTrip right next to the on/off ramp and judging by how packed it always is, I'm far from the only one.

Sapulpa would be like Yukon. You can get on/off an interstate without it being a turnpike OR you can get on the turnpike. But that's a little too "in town" (at least i think) for what they're looking for the price model. Now, i would love to see it rip out some of that horrible crap just off the Turner in Tulsa and revamp that depressed awful couple of miles of crap. Southhaven/SW 49th ish. But that's even that much more in-town that Sapulpa.

Just because you're paying by the plate, i dont think changes that you would still be paying to go off and back on the pike though if it were on 44. Keep in mind that there are also no frontage roads on the turnpikes. It would have to be right at the exit for one of the towns, say where the outlet mall used to be in Stroud.

I'm not going to say people won't do it because people are already crazy about their Buccees. Some folks, and well honestly maybe a lot of folks, may be willing to pay a few more dollars so they can fill up at Buccees. But if you're goin point to point, do you want that slow down? I mean i dont want to pay it or take that long. But i'm a fill at the pump and go kind of guy anyway. So Buccess lost me before they even tried.

[PhiAlpha]

Sapulpa would be like Yukon. You can get on/off an interstate without it being a turnpike OR you can get on the turnpike. But that's a little too "in town" (at least i think) for what they're looking for the price model. Now, i would love to see it rip out some of that horrible crap just off the Turner in Tulsa and revamp that depressed awful couple of miles of crap. Southhaven/SW 49th ish. But that's even that much more in-town that Sapulpa.

Just because you're paying by the plate, i dont think changes that you would still be paying to go off and back on the pike though if it were on 44. Keep in mind that there are also no frontage roads on the turnpikes. It would have to be right at the exit for one of the towns, say where the outlet mall used to be in Stroud.

I'm not going to say people won't do it because people are already crazy about their Buccees. Some folks, and well honestly maybe a lot of folks, may be willing to pay a few more dollars so they can fill up at Buccees. But if you're goin point to point, do you want that slow down? I mean i dont want to pay it or take that long. But i'm a fill at the pump and go kind of guy anyway. So Buccess lost me before they even tried.

the quiktrip im thinking of is only accessible from the interstate if you’re on the turnpike. The turnpike starts a few miles east of that exit if coming from Tulsa.

I don’t think sapulpa is the best spot for it, just citing that as an example of people not minding leaving the turnpike.

the cost difference is $0.30 for pike pass or $1.30 for plates.

[Zorba]

I just stopped at the one in Ennis on my way to Galveston 3 weeks ago because of this very reason. It's easy, we can get food, gas, go to the bathroom, walk around for 30 minutes or so, then get back to the road trip.

I've always thought Buc-ees would probably be halfway between Dallas and OKC for this reason. It's such a great stop on road trips, so putting themselves halfway between 2 commonly travel destinations is a good idea. I'd bet that when they picked Ennis, TX they knew people from OKC metro would use it going to Houston/Galveston.

I had been on the Ardmore bandwagon, but i really question if they are too big, and maybe too close to the store in Denton. If you go halfway bewtween that store and OKC, you get a little further North near Springer, OK. it's a rural community, and there are already a couple interchanges near there for easy on/off I35. If I were a Buc-ees rep I think that has some potential for a location and would capture a lot of cars going to and from OKC to DFW.

Yeah, I was really happy when they built the one in Ennis. The one in Madisonville was too far to make it without stopping first, and I rarely wanted to add an extra stop. Ennis is perfect, though. I usually stop at the QT in Ennis on the way home.

[scottk]

Yeah, I was really happy when they built the one in Ennis. The one in Madisonville was too far to make it without stopping first, and I rarely wanted to add an extra stop. Ennis is perfect, though. I usually stop at the QT in Ennis on the way home.

Same with the one in Terrell on the east edge of DFW on I-20. Built strategically at the beginning of a long stretch of Interstate. When we travel east towards Shreveport and Jackson, we will bypass the Buc-ee's in Denton and try to make it all the way through DFW to Terrell for our first stop to gas up, grab food, and restrooms.

[Jeepnokc]

The original goes up in flames.

https://www.kget.com/national-news/o...d-in-fire/amp/

[kukblue1]

Traveling to Indiana next week. How is the one in Springfield Mo? Do the roundabouts make it easier to get in and out or so much traffic it's makes it harder to get around them?

[jn1780]

The original goes up in flames.

https://www.kget.com/national-news/o...d-in-fire/amp/

Hmm, the old location goes up in flames a few weeks after closing. Did you still have an active insurance policy on that building Mr Bucee? Lol

I'm guessing contractors somehow caused a short while gutting the place.

[scottk]

Traveling to Indiana next week. How is the one in Springfield Mo? Do the roundabouts make it easier to get in and out or so much traffic it's makes it harder to get around them?

It's new. Getting in and out isn't too bad depending on the time of day you hit it. The roundabouts help a lot in keeping traffic moving and not backing up as bad as a stoplight for those going left (east bound) and south out of the store back to I-44.