So what’s a Wawa, they’re asking in Alabama. Will it be as exciting as when the Buc-ee’s planned to open in the state?

Wawa announced Monday it’s rapidly expanding in the Florida Panhandle into Lower Alabama as it migrates toward the central Gulf Coast, writes Lawrence Specker for AL.com.

Some Alabamans have run across Wawa’s in their travels. And like everywhere else, opinions about Wawa bring on some emotional discussions.

“Why Are People So Obsessed With Wawa?” asks a headline at TasteOfHome.com.

The coffee’s good and cheap, there’s healthy food options, clean stores and good service, goes the answer.

Wawa’s scoping out Pensacola and Mobile, Alabama but actual stores won’t be in place for a few years. It envisions up to 40 stores in the region by 2024.

Specker notes that Wawa.com devotes a lot of space to real estate acquisitions. 

“Got a patch of property you think would be a good place for a Wawa? Submit it here,” he writes.

Wawa typically wants a 2-acre site to run a 24-hour store with eight gas pumps near residential populations and employment centers. They don’t prioritize interstate access.

“In other words, it’s a completely different business model from Buc-ee’s,” he wrote.

Read more at AL.com about Wawa’s push into Alabama.

NJ.Today reviews Wawa’s new pizza offering.