Being from the West Coast, Seattle specifically, I had never experienced a Wawa until recently. I had however heard a lot about them. One of the most vivid things I remember about the college tour I had of the school I now attend is the tour guide discussing his affinity with Wawa and in particular their hoagies at the end of the tour.

For those of you who like me are from the West Coast or another part of the United States or World that does not have Wawa, let me do a brief explanation of what it is. Dotting themselves along the East Coast as far north as Pennsylvania and New Jersey and as far south as Central Florida, today Wawa is known as a chain of convenience stores with most of the 750 locations also being gas stations.

So, on the surface, you may just picture it as your typical roadside pit stop with its assortment of snacks, soft drinks, and other greasy, fatty foods. Even when I was talking to my parents about the store before I went for the first time, my mom commented, “All I picture is a 7/11.”

A Wawa lover would be appalled at this comment. Living with one roommate from South New Jersey and another from Pennsylvania, both were teeming with excitement over the opening of the first location in Washington, D.C. which is only a short walk from our campus. When trying to ask them what about the store made them so in love with it, I usually got one of those answers when a person is too excited to reach for the words that would best describe the experience. Either that or I would just be given the answer: “Everything.” According to them, everything about this convenience store is amazing.

Still perplexed and very much intrigued, I figured the best way to understand the excitement was to experience the store myself. I was excited going in, although I think my roommate’s enthusiasm was really what was rubbing off on me. I was excited by just how excited she was.

So, what did I think? I liked it. While I don’t’ have the same obsession with it as my East Coast friends who grew up with Wawa do, the novelty of the experience was the best part for me. I would describe the store as part Target snack aisle with the décor, cleanliness, and selection of snacks and beverages and part Subway or Potbelly in terms of food selection.

It is nice that the bread is obviously baked in stores and you can see who is making your hoagie. The sandwich also tasted really good. I could tell it was oven raosted turkey, the chipotle mayonnaise was flavorful and the bread was really good and nicely toasted. It was far superior to a Subway sandwich and definite competition to Potbelly. The price makes the deal even better. It cost less than $6 for a half a hoagie and a medium size soup. So with that kind of deal, it made the walk and the sandwich worth it.

Another perk of the grand opening weekend was the free coffee that was offered. A friend had said that Wawa coffee is better than Dunkin Donuts and even though I have my bias to Starbucks, I have to admit, I was impressed. This was no cruddy cup of gas station coffee, it was smooth and flavorful. I also got a taste of Wawa’s history as a diary with their egg nog. I love egg nog and this was especially good, it had the right balance of flavors without being too sweet. Next on my shopping list at Wawa though? Their cookies and cream milk which really caught my eye.

Overall, did I like the experience? Definitely. Will I be back? Absolutely, I will use its location as a good walk when I am in need of a snack and a study break, and will take advantage of the cheaper prices than the inflated ones at the CVS and other convenience stores on campus. Do I understand the obsession? Not quite, but I may be getting there. Is it just another 7/11? Definitely not.