A seismic shift is underway in the convenience store industry, and Buc-ee‘s is leading the charge toward America’s reddest zip codes.
The Texas-founded travel center chain has made its political and economic preferences known through the words of its own leadership, revealing a deliberate strategy that favors conservative statehouses over liberal ones.
Company co-founder Arch “Beaver” Aplin III laid out this vision during festivities marking the debut of a fresh location in Benton, Arkansas.
Standing before a crowd of eager customers and local officials, Aplin didn’t mince words about what draws his company to certain states over others.
“We have a lot of opportunities. We’re growing. We’re building in a lot of places, but when you find a conservative, business-friendly state with a phenomenal workforce, it makes a difference,” Aplin said.
Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders later posted a video capturing additional remarks from the executive, giving the public a closer look at his thinking.
In that clip, Aplin offered a blunt assessment of how his company now approaches its real estate decisions.
“I’m starting to realize life’s too short to try to build in places that people don’t appreciate what you’re bringing versus a place like this, where people do appreciate what you’re building,” he said.
According to Aplin, the enthusiasm shown by a community often traces directly back to the tone set by its political leadership.
He explained that a conservative, business-friendly, family-oriented atmosphere “works so much better if it trickles down from the very leadership” spanning local, state, and national government.
Recounting his company’s experience breaking ground in Arkansas, Aplin praised town officials for their can-do attitude toward the project.
“What we found when we got here into Benton was a business-friendly town, they said let’s roll up our sleeves and let’s go get a Buc-ee’s built,” Aplin said.
Crowds began forming well before the doors opened on August 17, with die-hard fans pitching tents and settling in for an overnight wait just to be first inside.
Political heavyweights joined the celebration too, as both Governor Sanders and Senator Tom Cotton turned out to mark the occasion alongside ordinary shoppers.
The scene in Benton reflected a phenomenon that has followed Buc-ee’s for years: a fan base willing to travel far and wait long for a taste of the brand’s oversized appeal.
Today the company operates 58 locations nationwide, but that number represents only a fraction of what’s coming.
Buc-ee’s has mapped out an ambitious growth trajectory stretching all the way through 2031, according to the Daily Mail.
Three states currently without a single Buc-ee’s — Louisiana, Kansas, and Wisconsin — are slated to get their first locations by 2027.
Looking further down the pipeline, the chain has additional openings planned in Tennessee, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Kentucky, and South Carolina.
Each new Buc-ee’s location follows a familiar formula: rows upon rows of fuel pumps, parking lots large enough to swallow a small stadium, and a retail floor overflowing with branded gear.
Hungry travelers can also expect the chain’s signature offerings, including slow-smoked brisket and its beloved Beaver Nuggets snack mix.
That formula — equal parts convenience stop and roadside attraction — has turned Buc-ee’s into far more than just a place to fill up a gas tank.
