Brace yourself Sarasotans — as of tomorrow you can get a Wawa sub, smoothie, cookie or pretzel without heading north of the county line.
- Sarasota County’s first Wawa opens Thursday (tomorrow) at 8 a.m. at the intersection of U.S. 301 and Myrtle Street.
- Wawa is also opening another Manatee County store at the intersection of State Road 70 and Lockwood Ridge Road tomorrow at 8 a.m.
That means I have two more Wawas to just happen to drive by on my way back from anything that involves going to Manatee County.
It also means my consumption of cheese-stuffed hot pretzels is about to increase.
The Pennsylvania-based chain, which has a fervent following similar to Trader Joe’s, is known for its cheap gas and sandwich shop-style food counter.
Wawa debuted in Southwest Florida with a store at 701 1st St. E. in Bradenton in December 2014.
Since then, its convenience stores have spread rapidly throughout the state.
Two more have opened in Manatee County, and Venice is expected to see its first this fall at U.S. 41 and Englewood Road.