Wawa coming to Orlando? Hope restored! (Warrington, Dover: construction, college, live)

[chopchop0]

Originally Posted by annerk

Now if only Wegman's would come down...

Wegmans is nice but I think Publix is pretty good too. Just be glad we don't have Giant Eagle (a really crappy chain in OH and PA).

[annerk]

Originally Posted by chopchop0

Wegmans is nice but I think Publix is pretty good too. Just be glad we don't have Giant Eagle (a really crappy chain in OH and PA).

Sorry, but Wegman's blows Publix out of the water. Even the older Wegman's stores are better than the best that Publix has to offer.

I'm not down on Publix, they are a fine grocery store, but they lack the things that make Wegman's special--the artisinal breads and cheeses, the patisserie, the pre-cooked and ready-to-cook food selections, etc.

[BeenAroundTheBlock]

I wonder if Wawa will bring down the produce from up north. Hopefully they'll bring down Jersey tomatoes! The tomatoes they sell here suck!

[chopchop0]

Originally Posted by annerk

Sorry, but Wegman's blows Publix out of the water. Even the older Wegman's stores are better than the best that Publix has to offer.

I'm not down on Publix, they are a fine grocery store, but they lack the things that make Wegman's special--the artisinal breads and cheeses, the patisserie, the pre-cooked and ready-to-cook food selections, etc.

That's true, but whole foods fills in that gap I guess. My only issue with Wegmans is the footprint and layout of their store. You'll spend no less than 45 mins doing quick shopping in many of their stores because how large they are and how spread out everything is. In Rochester and syracuse, they have these ridiculous Wal-mart supercenter sized grocery stores. The olive bar, artisanal cheese, and the high-end seafood is certainly nice, but pricey as well.

[hgebel]

Originally Posted by annerk

I totally disagree that Sheetz are nicer than WaWa. I was in a SHeetz up north last week that I turned around and walked out of due to a fly infestation. Gross.

I agree, I never even heard of Sheetz until my Mom moved to York (PA), but both of the ones near her apartment were not even as good as a 7-eleven let alone a Wawa. I seem to remember their deli being more expensive than Wawa as well, and Wawa is already a little more expensive than average.

-Harry

[hgebel]

Originally Posted by annerk

Sorry, but Wegman's blows Publix out of the water. Even the older Wegman's stores are better than the best that Publix has to offer.

I'm not down on Publix, they are a fine grocery store, but they lack the things that make Wegman's special--the artisinal breads and cheeses, the patisserie, the pre-cooked and ready-to-cook food selections, etc.

Wow, now I really want to see this Wegman's place. I never saw anything like Publix until I moved here; they don't have anything even close to Publix in Delaware. Where are they from? The name sounds vaguely familiar, do they have any in Pennsylvania? I kind of think I may have driven past one at some time or another when visiting family near Reading.

-Harry

[hgebel]

Originally Posted by Parrotrosie

WaWa gas stations are coming to Central Florida, Tampa Bay - St. Petersburg Times

Ohhhh...some more recent news!!! Yay!!!!

Great article! I am indescribably happy right now.

Import quote from the article:

Unlike rival megastations that rely on cashiers for food prep, the typical WaWa is staffed with a dozen people most of the time, with two or three full-timers assigned to tend the fresh food counter.

The standard fare includes 10 soups, built-to-suit sandwiches, flatbread quesadillas, salads and hot to-go bowls. Open 24/7, WaWa gets its name from an American Indian word for the Canada goose, a bird common to the Delaware Valley. Stores stock 6,000 items, four times as many as a 7-Eleven.

One thing that scares me a little, both my article and yours describe Wawa as a "filling-station chain". I hope they don't bring their gas stations down here; I thought those were a failed experiment. The two Wawas I know of that sold gas back home (Dover, DE and Nottingham, PA) were nice (better than anything down here), but not as good as a normal Wawa. Plus, the gas was overpriced and was unbranded.

As a side note, unbranded and branded gas use the exact same gas from the same refinery, but unbranded gas gets the government set minimum additives versus the higher quality branded additives that are put in branded gas. A Valero station may be selling gas made in a BP refinery and visa-versa, it's the additives that determine the brand not the actual gasoline. Most places unless they are close to a refinery get their gas from a pipeline, the pipeline operators don't separate the gas from one refinery from that from another. The additives are put in after it comes out of the pipeline and before it goes into the delivery truck. Whether the difference in additives is enough to justify paying for branded gas I doubt very much, but if it's using cheaper additives it should cost a little less.

-Harry

[annerk]

Originally Posted by BeenAroundTheBlock

I wonder if Wawa will bring down the produce from up north. Hopefully they'll bring down Jersey tomatoes! The tomatoes they sell here suck!

I have five perfectly ripe Jersey tomatoes on my counter right now that were hand delivered the other day.

[annerk]

Originally Posted by chopchop0

That's true, but whole foods fills in that gap I guess. My only issue with Wegmans is the footprint and layout of their store. You'll spend no less than 45 mins doing quick shopping in many of their stores because how large they are and how spread out everything is. In Rochester and syracuse, they have these ridiculous Wal-mart supercenter sized grocery stores. The olive bar, artisanal cheese, and the high-end seafood is certainly nice, but pricey as well.

I disagree on the time you spend. I was in Wegman's five times two weeks ago, and never spent more than about 20 minutes in any of them--a few times I was in and out in under 10. When I'm traveling on business up north I actually do a lot of my meals from Wegman's--I can eat healthier and cheaper than a typical restaurant. (As long as I step away from those cinnamin chip muffins in the morning!)

Not all Wegman's stores are massive--the one in Clay, NY (Syracuse) near the mall for example is about the same size as the Kings Ridge Publix in Clermont--and smaller than the Citrus Tower Publix. And to be honest, I find their prices on par with Whole Foods, and their selection is even better than Whole Foods. If you don't want artisnal cheese for example, go buy a package of Kraft at Wal-Mart. I'm happy to pay higher prices to get far better quality, but that's me.

[annerk]

Originally Posted by hgebel

Wow, now I really want to see this Wegman's place. I never saw anything like Publix until I moved here; they don't have anything even close to Publix in Delaware. Where are they from? The name sounds vaguely familiar, do they have any in Pennsylvania? I kind of think I may have driven past one at some time or another when visiting family near Reading.

-Harry

Wegman's is definitely in PA. They started 100 years ago or so in Rochester, and have been gradually spreading throughout NY and into PA, DE, MD, and VA.