Wawa Opens Hope Mills Travel Center, First of Its Kind in U.S.

Thursday morning, Wawa opened its long-awaited first-ever travel center in Hope Mills.

The Chicken Foot Road location next to Interstate 95 marks the company's entry into the truck stop market.

"We are thrilled to pilot this new format in Hope Mills and believe this new travel center model is a great way to bring Wawa to customers while serving a need to the travelers," said John Poplawski, Wawa's Chief Real Estate Officer, to CDL Life.

The 8,000-square-foot location features six diesel lanes and free truck parking. Truckers can use the CAT scale to weigh their vehicles. The site includes outdoor seating, clean restrooms, and a dog walking area.

Inside, guests can place orders using touchscreen kiosks. The store's design helps keep food service running smoothly during busy periods.

Building each store costs $7.5 million and creates 35 local jobs. Over the next decade, 90 new locations will open across North Carolina, creating 3,000 jobs statewide.

Doors opened at 8 a.m., and the first 250 customers got free t-shirts. Free coffee will be available all month. Local heroes will face off in a sandwich-making contest to support area charities.

While Cumberland County has one store already, this is Wawa's first truck stop. Similar locations will open next year in Richmond, Indiana and Lima, Ohio.