Wawa's new boss pledges a bread oven in every store: Update
CEO Chris Gheysens is even making room to sit down, in some stores
Wawa's new boss pledges a bread oven in every store: Update
Joseph N. DiStefano
UPDATE: After readers asked about changes to Wawa's cold-cuts prep, spokeswoman Lori Bruce says: "We have been phasing out slicers for a few years now; we currently have them in about 100 stores." Most stores now use pre-sliced meats and cheeses "received fresh... on a daily basis" through Wawa's South Jersey-based supplpy chain (there's a different chain for Florida stores) from Berks, Giordano's, and other cold-cut houses; Dietz and Watson has not been a supplier. EARLIER:
So he doesn't get downtown much, Gheysens admitted to the Irish American Business Chamber & Network (corrected) at its Pyramid Club luncheon today. "You know how it is. I've got four kids. So not a dollar on me" when he had to feed a meter this morning, he said. "So I stopped at the ATM. There was a three-dollar surcharge. What's Wawa's surcharge?" Wawa friends in the crowd yelled back, "Zero!" and applauded. "Right. So I went in Starbucks. They charged me $2.25 for a cup of coffee. What's Wawa's coffee price?" The shout came back: "A dollar." "And Wawa's coffee is better." Pause. "This is not an advertisement by any sense." That got the laugh line too.
He was story-telling: Center City has converted to card-operated parking meters. No matter; the crowd went right along as he sketched a "Blue Ocean" business strategy -- "Couple gas, with food service, in good locations, with great customer service... No one else is doing that" in Wawa's markets.
Wawa, Gheysens says, now wants to be seen, not as fast food, but as "Fast Casual," in a league with fresh-food but no-waitress-to-tip Five Guys, Chipotle, or Panera, only without all the seating. Except in Florida, and at some new stores, which are adding chairs outside, and seem more like the Sheetz I visited in Carlisle the other day, than the classic move-you-along Wawa way.
"In Florida, we're using the same feel, but a different store model," with glass walls, "and seating outside," Gheysens affirmed. "Go around Philadelphia, you don't see those stores." A majority of Wawas now sell gas, but he's still planning to upgrade smaller no-gas outlets, especially in Center City, and the popular but worn outpost at Penn: "That needs to be a landmark." Gheysens also said Wawa has made a decision on its store-baked bread experiment in partnership with Amoroso's, Wawa's bread supplier: "Fresh baked rolls. By the end of the year you will have an oven in every Wawa." Which means more bread baked on site (and maybe less from Amoroso's South Jersey industrial bakery).
There'll also be employees in "mock chef coats." "Less clutter. Brighter colors. More consistent," Gheysens says, "with what you find in a Panera or a Starbucks."
Your coffee is not better than Starbucks. Starbucks isn't great, but know your place. The love for Wawa coffee is one of the great concession mysteries of the region. Sure, you sell lots of it, and people love it. There's a reason its a $1 - its cheap and low quality. Laban put out a 'best coffee' article not long ago - use it people.— Murrayman- I don't need or want Wawa to be a Panera-wannabe with workers in "mock chef coats" whatever the heck those are. I just want to be able to fill my gas tank and get a decent hoagie. Why try to fix what isn't broken?— Strongbow
- BRING BACK THE BREADED CHICKEN PATTY SANDWICH AND RICE BOWLS!!!!!!!!!!! the chicken fingers suck
— ChampAnderson - Wawa has really gone down hill in the last few years. They are usually dirty and in disrepair.— truthfirst
- wawa makes the worst hogie around and at one time they were good. any wawa you get a hogie from the tomatoes are bad, the onions are chunks, and the lettuces is browning. even the rolls have went down hill> what happened to the hogies? just terrible. the coffee is still good though— stayoutofphilly
- I'm from Philly an now live in Kissimmee Fla. You cannot (cannot) get a descent sandwich down here, no way shape or form, cannot get a good sandwich . The rolls suck, meats sucks, no such thing as Itailian meats at all and when you go to the super market all you can get is Cuban rolls an they suck. No such thing as a kiaser roll so much for America. They have lunch meat cutters that take an hour to get you anything, yes u do miss Acme markets. Well when Wawa opened up this year, near us, we beelined to get our shorties an they were great. Thank you Amerosa rolls, than you Wawa. And for a blog saying the service sucked, not so down in Fla. an they have the outdoor seating which is great. Only thing they don't have is the milkshakes, but who's complaining,thanks Wawa an u are killing the Racetrace gas stations - which is great....
All we need now is Shady Maple super market an I'll be in heaven.....— Del/inFla - Who is this guy? Buy your bread from a local bakery instead of trying to brand everything with the WAWA name. Because the 1st time something goes wrong with the product you will blame the workers and not the fool who thought it up.We are Florida (thank god!) please do not do start that outside seating ... I hate it in Philly and we don't need any more pretentious places in the burbs.This is not Europe!Yes D.C. Stinkley is right fix your customer service base most of the employees have no home training that includes the so called managers.My son was employed at WAWA through high school and college.He had to endure all kinds of people but it taught him how to give good customer service.That experience him the leg up on the good paying job he has today.— vrb1955
- D.C. Stinkley.....get over yourself, Mr.Pretentious!— andrew69
- i agree with most people commenting on the amt of meat in their sandwiches. seems they have taken the same route as subway by skimping. i tend to shy away from their deli meats and go for the newer meat bowls or meatball.— raynesrock
- Please, please push your Florida expansion farther south a bit faster, the new Tampa store will open this year but I am 90 miles farther south on the west coast and I am dying for a decent hoagie roll! WaWa ice cream is good too!— unbelieveable!
- 5 pages of comments kinda says it all...— BOB355
- if they put tables and chair outside the Wawas around here, the ones sitting outside would deter others from actually going into the store.— tlee
- So I guess it would be asking for too much for Wawa to come to Portland, Oregon. Wawa would really clean up in this region.— jerseyguy242
- this article only confirmed what i learned early last year, wawa has gone the cheapo route,meaning using " pre-cut deli, delivered fresh daily " ( yewah, i bet the same dump that subway uses ) this is why i never eat ANYTHING OIT OF THERE, the taste is tthe difference, when i worked at wawa 26 years ago, everything was fresh onsite, a grille was in the store and i prepared everything sold ) so i know what i am talking about, just look around a redesigned wawa, you see nothing that says fresh ( except the plastic gloves the prepares wear ) ashame because back then they took pride in their methods, now they follow suit like everyone else— eddiot
- I would like to thank Wawa for their reasonable food prices. They have always been fair. Same goes for the no ARM fee. It's nice to see a company that is still fair to customers rather than trying to gouge and exploit them so they can buy another Lear Jet for their daughter to use. As long as they are privately owned they should be able to maintain this business model. Once they start selling stock in the company it will become profit driven instead of customer driven and the gouging will start.— Grapost
