My First Visit to Buc-ee's (Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Corporate America)

I take the day off from writing about animation to participate in a traditional, holy Southern pilgrimage and, along the way, reaffirm my faith in American spirituality.

As a participant in / victim of consumer culture and late-stage capitalism, I have an ongoing interest with regional chain businesses.  I mean, we’re all familiar with the national chains—McDonald’s, 7-Eleven, Costco, and so on—but then there are the smaller companies whose territories are more limited than their more widespread counterparts.  For example, you can get McDonald’s anywhere in the United States, but In-N-Out Burger is currently only available in eight states, with most of these on the West Coast (and all of them west of the Mississippi).  Likewise, Fatburger is only located in a smattering of locations, but they are predominantly a California thing.  Whataburger is currently available in 16 mostly Southern states, with the lion’s share found in Texas (Murray).  And, while it once had more than 650 restaurants at its peak (Redmond), the Maryland-based Roy Rogers chain is down to 41 locations in the mid-Atlantic region, with the majority found in Western Maryland. These merchants may not be available coast to coast, but they’re still a part of the tapestry of American business, with their territories swelling and contracting due to factors including the ever-changing marketplace and their own popularity.

With this in mind, I find it equally fascinating when these regional chains expand into new territories, as well as how they prep these markets for their wares.  Take Sonic Drive-In, for example.  Founded in 1953 in Shawnee, OK; it wasn’t until August 13, 2010 when they opened their first Maryland location on Liberty Road in Randallstown (“Baltimore”; “Pictures”).  That said, for years prior, I would see ads for Sonic on both local Maryland TV and cable stations throughout the early 2000s, tempting me with food and drink that I could not buy without driving to a location in a different state.  Now, I have no comprehension of the price differences between regional and national commercial ad buys when it comes to businesses such as this, but what I do know is that Sonic was using these national ads to plant the seeds for their next wave of expansion, peppering the landscape by “educating” locals about their offerings.  And, after years of indoctrination, Maryland residents could pull into the Sonic Drive-In on opening day and, without even looking at the menu, quickly rattle off an order for a SuperSONIC Double Cheeseburger, Chili Cheese Tots, and a Cherry Limeade Slush.

(Of course, it is worth noting that these expansions don’t always work, as three of the Baltimore Sonic locations—specifically the Timonium, Towson, and Rosedale ones—have been shuttered and abandoned as of August 2024 [Morales].  Today, they are still standing but eroding, with the parking lots of the latter two now used as impromptu homeless encampments.  It is unknown why Sonic pulled out from these locations but, hey, at least they tried.)

Of course, the above brings me to Buc-ee’s, the regional gas station chain that is the focus of this article.  Founded in 1982, this Texas-based company has begun expanding outside the Lone Star State in recent years, with massive locations popping up predominantly in the South and Midwest.  However, as a resident of the East Coast / Mid-Atlantic region, I had no idea that this business existed until reading a 2024 article mentioning it on The Takeout blog (it currently provides a publication date of July 2, 2025; but Internet Archive lists its original posting as June 24, 2024), but it wasn’t until a few months later that I really learned about Buc-ee’s by watching the following YouTube video:

The content creator above is Sir Yacht, real name Joey Kinsley, a digital marketing specialist and self-proclaimed “professional dumbass” who apparently got his start as a contestant on Seasons 21 and 22 of Food Network’s reality show Worst Cooks in America before starting an empire as a singer, podcaster, and YouTube influencer.  As of this writing, he has created an additional Buc-ee’s-related video (with a third on the way), but his initial, week-long stunt of eating nothing but food from the aforementioned gas station chain was my introduction to the mysteries and wonders of this establishment.

Of course, my obsession was further fed by other YouTube videos about the subject, such as this one from Mashed:

And this one from the Grateful Glamper:

And, finally, this one from my favorite YouTube celebrity chef, Andrew Rea, from Binging with Babish:

Thanks to these and other sources, I fell down the rabbit hole (beaver hole?), becoming more and more obsessed with Buc-ee’s lore.  Thanks to these sources, I learned that they allegedly have the world’s cleanest restrooms.  They carve their own brisket, sell their own line of specialty snack foods, and make their own fudge, pastries, jerky, kolaches, and potato chips.  Their locations can host anywhere from 80 to 120 gas pumps.  And their billboard game can give veteran tourist trap South of the Border a run for their money.

Above images courtesy of Swipe Folder, The GloveTrotters, Running Sucks, and NJ.com.

Unfortunately for me, my closest location at the time was in Florence, SC, so this was a problem.  As I was unwilling to drive so far south just to visit a glorified gas station, those sliced brisket sandwiches, Texas cheesesteak burritos, and Beaver Nuggets would remain tantalizingly out of reach … until I learned that a 74,000-square-foot, 120 gas pump Buc-ee’s location would be opening in Mount Crawford, VA on June 30, 2025 (Schulte). With the finish line moved to roughly 200 miles from my apartment, I became interested again, but I was still on the fence about the prospect of making the seven hour round trip. However, I would soon commit myself fully to the quest after learning a final, crucial detail:

In an apparent attempt to turn his Buc-ee’s videos into a trilogy, Sir Yacht announced on Facebook that he was going to visit all 54 locations in 15 days, with the final day being the grand opening of the Virginia venue. And so, as a college professor in between semesters, I decided this past Monday to drop everything and drive 210 miles to sample the Texas chain’s products and, hopefully, rub elbows with a fellow Internet influencer.

Okay, a better Internet influencer. A more influential Internet influencer.

Fuck.

Anyway, being in no particular hurry (and eager to avoid the regular Baltimore morning traffic), I began my journey a little before noon.  Electing to take a slightly longer route to avoid tolls, I made my way west on Interstate 70 towards Frederick, only to turn onto I-81 South to Roanoke and, later, Maryland Route 257 and Virginia State Route 682.  Along the way, I got to enjoy the scenic mountains and farmlands (the Baltimore area is notoriously flat), as well as some surprises, such as what may be one of the last of the co-branded restaurants, which had their heyday roughly twenty years ago:

I’d imagine a character like Two-Face would be a big fan of these:  “Okay, Batman.  Good heads, we’ll get diarrhea at the A&W.  Bad heads, we’ll get diarrhea at Long John Silver’s.”

Finally, after three hours of driving, I could see the now-familiar beaver mascot’s head surveying the neighboring highway, like some golden god of commerce. I had arrived.

Above aerial rendering courtesy of Buc-ee’s Holdings, Inc. and Axios.

As I approached the outpost, the first thing I noticed was its size. It was massive—better resembling a Target or Wal-Mart shopping center than your average Royal Farms or Wawa location. The parking lot was packed, much like a Costco on the weekend. As I parked my car, I was conflicted. On one hand, I was giddy. Finally, after months of influencer videos and corporate propaganda, I was going to partake in a ritual, a pilgrimage undertaken by the Buc-ee’s faithful, a consumer base with an almost cult-like devotion rarely seen outside of IKEA. Finally, after nearly a year and two hundred miles, I was able to pay my respects to The Beaver.

On the other hand, I felt like a total asshole. I just wasted a day and half a tank of gas to travel to another state just for the novelty of shopping at a new store. What was wrong with me?

While the store initially opened its doors at 6:00am (Staley), there was an official ribbon cutting ceremony at 10:00am that was attended by Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, Lt. Governor Winsome Earle-Sears, and Buc-ee’s creator and CEO Arch “Beaver” Aplinn III (Willett). Even hours afterwards, the store, much like the parking lot, was densely packed with shoppers, travellers, and the Buc-ee’s faithful.

In the end, I spent about two hours eating, shopping, and getting sunburned walking around the property snapping photographs (I have vitiligo and don’t like how sunscreen makes me feel greasy, so anytime I’m outside in the sun for more than two minutes I look like I was sunbathing at a nuclear testing site). Among the food items I sampled, I’d say that the sliced brisket sandwich and the banana pudding were particularly good, as was the cheesesteak burrito (a product favored by both Babish and Sir Yacht in their respective videos). I was also pleasantly surprised to pay $2.69 per gallon for gas, considering how—at the time—it was roughly fifty cents higher back in Baltimore. Collectively—with food, gas, and general shopping—I spent over a hundred dollars at Buc-ee’s, paying for much-needed items like a Buc-ee’s T-shirt and a Buc-ee’s Mini Portable Trash Can.

Don’t judge me. It’s cute, and it beats tossing straw wrappers and used Starbucks napkins on the floor of my car, doesn’t it?

As for meeting Sir Yacht, it appears that I missed him by as little as half an hour, if this Facebook post is any indication:

Oh well. It was a shot in the dark, and I’m sure he had a long, long drive back to Ohio from Virginia, making my three-hour commute back to Maryland a picnic by comparison. Besides, what would I say to him? “It is certainly a pleasure to meet the man responsible for YouTube content that I actively watch once, and then passively observe forever while doomscrolling on my phone during hours when I should be sleeping or writing my Justice League essays! You rule, sir!”

So, that was my first trip to Buc-ee’s, the regional gas station chain that, again, has achieved a cult-like following among Southerners, but while I had fun, I must also admit that—on a deep, subconscious level—the whole experience has made me a little uneasy. To best explain why, I must look back to The Jerusalem Syndrome: My Life as a Reluctant Messiah, the 2001 autobiography written by comedian / actor / podcast king Marc Maron. In one chapter, he reflected on a similar journey he made to a Virginia business, this time the Philip Morris cigarette manufacturing plant in Richmond. Seeking a way to quit smoking, he was convinced that by standing “before the corporate machinery that went into giving me cancer […] I would be moved to horror” (Maron 92; ch. 9). However, after visiting the plant and taking the tour, it only reinforced his devotion to smoking, later recalling how “I went there to quit smoking, and I left smoking filterless” (Maron 96; ch. 9). He then went on to describe his theory that, religion aside, American spirituality is really brand loyalty at its core:

As I walked through the exhibits [at the Coca-Cola Museum in Atlanta, GA], I found the most fascinating historical element of the museum was the Coca-Cola logo itself, the white cursive on the red background.  How it has traveled through time from 1886 to the present.  Governments have changed, fashions have changed, countries have tumbled, World Wars have been fought, and nuclear bombs detonated, but the Coca-Cola logo lives on unchanged.  No force of man or nature can damage the integrity of it.  That logo represents something much larger than the ebb and flow of history.  It represents a powerful consistency that looms sometimes largely and sometimes subtly over all things, like God.

It is but one in the modern pantheon of new gods!  Philip Morris, AT&T, GE, AOL, General Motors, Time Warner, Viacom, Microsoft.  Do we have a choice?  Con Ed.  Is there a moment that goes unpaid for?  Did you leave anything on at home?  Sprint, Levi Strauss, Disney, Nike, Sony.  I have a Sony VCR, a Sony CD player, a Sony Walkman, a Sony television.  I mean, where would we be without Sony?  Certainly unentertained.  Sony:  it has four letters like “good,” like “love.”

These corporate entities quell our fears, they give us hope, and they make us feel as if we are part of something eternal and lasting.  They present us with a manufactured reality that comforts us.  In essence, they do everything God used to do.

All I know is that when I’m in a spiritual crisis, I’ll do anything—smoke, eat, drink, watch TV, get online, buy something, listen to music, go to the movies, take a drive—anything but get down on my knees and say, “God, it’s Marc.  I don’t know who I am anymore.  Can you help me?” (Maron 99-101; ch. 9)

Considering the above, it’s certainly fitting that, in the modern era, corporate entities like Buc-ee’s not only have their devoted followers, but now they also have evangelists ready to sing their praises on social media. Rather than wearing a Buc-ee’s T-shirt or hat to express their brand of spirituality, these influencers find meaning and purpose by creating elaborate think pieces and video content glorifying something greater than themselves … something that does not compensate them or even acknowledge them for their labor, as far as I can tell (in fact, if the latest episode of Sir Yacht’s podcast is any indication, they certainly do not). It may not be the Mark of the Beast, but we as a culture are eager to wear the mark of our corporate overlords, be it logo, slogan, or—in this case—a grinning, cartoon beaver.

To paraphrase Sir Yacht, we are truly and royally Buc’ed.

Works Cited

“Baltimore Awaits Debut of Sonic Drive-In.”  AFRO News.  The Black Media Authority.  10 Aug. 2010.  <https://afro.com/baltimore-awaits-debut-of-sonic-drive-in/>.  Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.

Maron, Marc. The Jerusalem Syndrome: My Life as a Reluctant Messiah. Broadway Books. 2001.

Morales, Maria.  “SONIC Permanently Closes Towson and Lutherville Restaurants.”  WMAR2 News.  Scripps Media, Inc.  6 Sept. 2024.  <https://www.wmar2news.com/sonic-permanently-closes-towson-lutherville-restaurants>.  Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.

Murray, Dylan.  “How Many States Have a Whataburger?”  The Takeout.  Static Media.  24 Feb. 2025.  <https://www.thetakeout.com/1793956/what-states-whataburger/>.  Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.

“Pictures:  Sonic Grand Opening in Randallstown.”  Internet Archive.  8 Jun. 2025.  <https://web.archive.org/web/20250608152326/https://www.baltimoresun.com/2010/08/13/pictures-sonic-grand-opening-in-randallstown/>.  Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.

Redmond, Kimberly.  “Roy Rogers Plots South Jersey Comeback After 40 Years.”  NJBIZ.  BridgeTower Media.  25 Nov. 2024.  <https://njbiz.com/roy-rogers-plots-south-jersey-comeback-after-40-years/>.  Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.

Schulte, Katherine.  “Buc-ee’s Estimates First Va. Location to Open in June.”  Virginia Business.  BridgeTower Media.  2 Jan. 2025.  <https://virginiabusiness.com/buc-ees-estimates-first-va-location-to-open-in-june/>.  Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.

Staley, Mike.  “‘Buc-ee’s is a Lifestyle’:  What to Expect Ahead of Virginia’s First Buck-ee’s Grand Opening.”  WDBJ 7.  Gray Local Media Station.  27 Jun. 2025.  <https://www.wdbj7.com/2025/06/27/buc-ees-is-lifestyle-what-expect-ahead-virginias-first-buc-ees-grand-opening/>.  Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.

Willett, Mason et al.  “Virginia’s First Buc-ee’s Celebrates Grand Opening in Rockingham County.”  WHSV 3.  Gray Local Media Station.  30 Jun. 2025.  <https://www.whsv.com/2025/06/30/virginias-first-buc-ees-celebrates-grand-opening-rockingham-county/>.  Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.

Zoeller, Dani.  “Regional Convenience Store Chains We Wish Were Everywhere.”  The Takeout.  Static Media.  2 Jul. 2025.  <https://www.thetakeout.com/1604718/regional-gas-station-convenience-store-chains-wish-everywhere/>.  Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.

---.  “Regional Convenience Store Chains We Wish Were Everywhere.”  Internet Archive.  23 Jul. 2024.  <https://web.archive.org/web/20240723182732/https://www.thetakeout.com/1604718/regional-gas-station-convenience-store-chains-wish-everywhere/>.  Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.

Images—unless otherwise indicated—courtesy of Joseph Davis, Sir Yacht, and Buc-ee’s Holdings, Inc. YouTube videos courtesy of the sir yacht, Mashed, Grateful Glamper, and Babish Culinary Universe channels.