MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WGNS News) - Buc-ee’s and Wawa continue to expand their footprints across Tennessee and beyond, with both convenience-store chains preparing to open new locations in Middle Tennessee. Scroll down for multiple photos of Buc-ee's "in-progress" in Murfreesboro, TN. All photos from August 19, 2026.
Buc-ee’s CEO and co-founder Arch “Beaver” Aplin III recently discussed the company’s future growth during the grand opening of a new Buc-ee’s in Benton, Arkansas. Aplin indicated the Texas-based company will continue looking for expansion opportunities in states and communities that are business-friendly, while also considering the availability of a strong workforce to staff its massive travel centers.
Buc-ee’s is known not only for operating some of the largest convenience stores and travel centers in the country, but also for offering wages that tend to be higher than those traditionally associated with gas stations and convenience stores. Many Buc-ee’s hourly positions start in the range of $16 to $18 per hour, depending on the job and location, with some positions paying more. Other convenience-store chains known for competitive wages include QuikTrip and Wawa.
The expansion battle is becoming particularly noticeable in Rutherford County. Buc-ee’s is preparing to open its massive Murfreesboro travel center near the Interstate 24 and Joe B. Jackson Parkway interchange in November. Before that happens, Wawa is scheduled to celebrate the opening of its new Murfreesboro store at 5208 Veterans Parkway on September 10.
The Murfreesboro Wawa is part of a much larger push into Middle Tennessee. A newly constructed Wawa at 2424 Tennessee 46 South in Dickson is scheduled to open Wednesday, August 26. Another new store at 1000 Murfreesboro Road in Lebanon is scheduled to open September 2.
By the end of 2026, Pennsylvania-based Wawa plans to have as many as seven stores operating across Tennessee. And the company is apparently just getting started. Wawa has announced plans for more than 50 Tennessee locations over the next decade, potentially giving the familiar northeastern convenience-store chain a significant presence across the Volunteer State. Each Wawa typically employs around 35 workers and represents an investment of approximately $8 million. Wawa currently operates 1,231 Wawa stores in the United States.
Buc-ee’s operates on an entirely different scale. Its travel centers commonly employ between 175 and 250 full- and part-time workers, while some of its largest locations can require several hundred employees to operate their food-service, retail, fueling and car-wash operations. The Murfreesboro Buc-ee’s is expected to create hundreds of jobs when it opens. Buc-ee's has nearly 60 (total) store locations in the U.S.
The difference in size between the two brands is substantial. Wawa stores are designed around the traditional neighborhood convenience-store model, while Buc-ee’s builds sprawling interstate travel destinations with around 120 fuel pumps, extensive food operations and enormous retail areas. Based on their approximate building sizes, around 16 Wawa stores could fit inside a single Buc-ee’s travel center like the one being built on Joe B. Jackson Pkwy.
Despite their differences, both companies have something important in common: they are betting heavily on growth. Both Buc-ee’s and Wawa operate around the clock, 24 hours a day and 365 days a year, and both have expanded well beyond the regions where their brands were first established.
For Rutherford County drivers, that growth means two major convenience-store brands will soon have a presence in Murfreesboro. Wawa arrives first in September, followed by the much larger Buc-ee’s travel center expected to open in November - giving local motorists considerably more choices when it comes to fuel, food, snacks and road-trip stops.
