Buc-ee’s is once again expanding, bringing the joy of the beaver and brisket burritos across the American South. Some planned future locations include Kansas City, Kansas, St Lucie, Florida, and Lafayette, Louisiana. Opening this year: San Marcos, Texas; Benton, Arkansas (home of Wal-Mart headquarters; and Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
Lubbock Doesn’t Have A Buc-ee’s…But Amarillo Does?
A couple of weeks ago, a kindly coworker of ours brought us Buc-ee’s snacks from the Amarillo location. Fudge sampler? Don’t mind if I do! But it got me thinking: Lubbock has possibly 75,000 more residents than Amarillo, so why did the beat us to the Beaver Nuggets?
Amarillo is situated on historic Route 66, but Lubbock is a major logistics hub in the area. You would think the biggest gas station on the planet would want to cater to that, an argument I’ve made in the past, but I was promptly corrected on my error.
Buc-ee’s Is For The Tourists, NOT Truckers
Buc-ee’s corporate policy is “no thanks” to truckers. Any type of trucking or equipment vehicle is banned from parking at a Buc-ee’s. So all that trucking traffic through Lubbock would be wasted on the Beaver. It is a tourist destination.
However, Lubbock does get tourists, believe it or not. See: the George Strait concert. However, our “tourist” season tends to be primarily dictated by college sports, as Lubbock unfortunately doesn’t have many amenities to bring in folks from beyond our immediate surrounding communities, unless they are watching the game, then leaving…