It's finally happening! Wawa is building two stores in Pensacola.

Pensacola is finally getting its Wawa - and more than one!

Wawa executives announced Thursday morning that they plan to open two stores in Pensacola, one at the corner of West Nine Mile and Beulah roads, and another at U.S. Highway 98 and North Blue Angel Parkway.

An additional three to four sites are under consideration.

Construction is expected to begin this year, and the stores are scheduled to open in 2024.

Steve Hasher, director of store operations, introduced Wawa to the Pensacola community in a raucous "community day event" at the Bayview Community Center.

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"When we talk about what matters most about our business model, we just don't think of hoagies, coffee, gas or convenience," Hasher said during the event. "While they certainly matter, what we value the most is how we serve and help our customers in our communities, in good times and bad. That's the true measure of success."

Wawa is ranked No. 23 on the Forbes list of largest privately held companies in America, and has a footprint in six states. The chain has opened nearly 250 stores in the Sunshine State and today employs 10,000 associates in Florida.

Currently, the company's goal is to have a Wawa operational in Pensacola by the first quarter of 2024.

Over the next eight to 10 years, the company plans to open 40 stores between Tallahassee and Mobile, Alabama, Hasher said. He noted each store typically employs around 35 associates, and that each new build would provide work to approximately 140 local contractors and skilled workers.

Asked what other Panhandle locations were targeted for new stores, Lori Bruce, senior manager of media relations, said Wawa was in "wave 1" of its rollout in the region and would be making announcements about other stores community-by-community as sites were locked in.

During the announcement in Pensacola, Wawa mascot Wally Goose posed for photos with the crowd as people snacked on signature sandwiches, sipped on Wawa branded lemon iced tea, and clacked plastic toy clappers to show their approval as Wawa staff explained their expansion plans.

Elie Hogan, a New Jersey native and recent transplant to Pensacola, was one of a number of diehard local Wawa fans invited to the event to celebrate the Pensacola expansion.

"I love that every time you go into a Wawa, it feels like home because every Wawa is laid out pretty similar," Hogan said. "They have the same products and it's always the same great quality."

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Hasher gushed about the dedication of Wawa's customers and employees.

"You've heard the stories," he said. "You drive six hours to Jacksonville for a Wawa hoagie. Some of our customers have tattoos. Some have weddings in our store or get their wedding photos outside our stores ... all that magic happens because of our people. Our people are our secret sauce."

Wawa officials stressed that when Wawa comes to a community, it becomes a part of the community. During Thursday's event, the Wawa Foundation presented $3,000 checks to both the local USO and the Studer Family Children's Hospital at Ascension Sacred Heart.

"We like to be in the community before we even have shovels in the ground," said Liz Simeone, senior manager of the Wawa Foundation and community care.

Wawa officials said they plan to break ground on their first site within the "next few months," and that stores typically take six to nine months to build.

"We can't wait to serve the community here," Hasher said.

Why is Wawa famous?

For the uninitiated, Wawa is a family-owned chain of over 980 convenience, retail and food service stores that have cultivated a cult following for clean restrooms, great customer service and quality food. This year Forbes ranked Wawa #12 in their Halo 100 list of brands that consumers love.

Founded in Pennsylvania in 1964, Wawa took the Northeast by storm, expanding into New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. The chain opened its first Florida store in Orlando in 2012 and has been spreading across the state since.

What is Wawa short for?

"Wawa" is an Ojibwe Native American word that translates, more or less, as “Canada goose." It's also the name of the town where this version of the company developed and where the corporate offices still reside. That's also why there's a goose on the company's corporate logo.

It's pronounced to rhyme with "saw-saw," and the second w is never capitalized.

How many Wawas are there in Florida?

Wawa opened its 250th store in Florida in 2022.

Wawa's Florida stores are mostly in the southwest, across central Florida and up and down the east coast.

“Over the years, we’ve been delighted to hear from so many people from so many areas, who are interested in having a Wawa closer to home. We couldn’t be more excited to bring Wawa’s one-of-a-kind brand and offering to these new markets in the near future,” said John Poplawski, vice president of real estate for Wawa, last year. 

There are nearly 1,000 Wawa stores in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Florida, and Washington, D.C. 

Why bring Wawa to Pensacola?

The Pensacola market has been a popular target for national chains' expansions in the last few years, with four new Aldi grocery store locations opening in Pensacola, Navarre and Pace/Pea Ridge throughout 2022.

Coffee kiosk brand Scooter's Coffee is planning for at least five locations in the Pensacola area, and areas like Pace and Milton have seen attention from brands like Publix anchoring new shopping centers.