Where Should Buc-ee's Go Next?

Buc-ee is a popular guy; he's in high demand. For most of time since the grand year of 1982, he's set up shop mainly in southeast Texas near his stomping grounds in Lake Jackson near Houston, but now the movement is growing throughout the southeastern United States -- including Alabama and Georgia. Florida and South Carolina are getting stores, too.

So, where else needs a Buc-ee's? We asked on the Texas Snax Facebook page, and y'all responded (330 times as of publication).

Some people bragged about their suggestions. Stella did this when she commented, "Portland, Texas. Steel plant and Plastics factory (largest in US) are being built in the area."

Michael is trying the "I'll meet you partway" method when he stated, "Baja California or at least meet me in between here and the drive back to DFW. Not 1 from DFW to El Paso and on. They should call that strip of Interstate 'Suicide Hwy.'"

Mathew is fine with rubbing good fortune into our faces. He said, "2 are opening in Florida.1 in Daytona Beach and the other right down the road from me in St Augustine 😍"

First, y'all may wonder why we want to know this. True, we make a living buying Buc-ee's merch and grub to ship right to your doorstep. We're like the Amazon for the best jerky, candy, shirts, and onesies for young and old. We're there for homesick texpats and Texas fans all over. However, given the COVID-19 pandemic, immaculately clean bathrooms as well as gas and gear for road tripping (a safer mode of travel) are more important than ever. So, we know that Texas can't keep it to itself. Further, those brisket sandwiches tho… We would risk it for the brisket, but that's hard to do even with speedy long distance shipping.

If you ask me, I vote for El Paso. I visited there in pre-pandemic times and was bummed to learn that the closest one was hundreds of miles away. Fortunately, a few people in the comments agree with me. Perhaps as a group we can lure him west. Go west, young beaver!

Louisiana and Oklahoma came up more than once. That's not surprising as the states' proximity to the Lone Star State. They know what they're missing out on as they may frequently travel to Texas as well as deal with people who pass through the Promised Land.

Other requests include further flung locales. Good thing Buc-ee's has products suited well to each place. Nearer by ones include New Mexico, Missouri, Nebraska, and Iowa plus more locations in Alabama. Some of the furthest domestic requests are in southern Virginia, Indiana, and Minnesota. With locations that far up north, Buc-ee will need his jackets.

Heck, since people are dreaming big, in addition to El Paso, I demand that he set up shop in Salt Lake City, Utah. He can harness the Great Salt Lake to enhance his Salt Water Taffy line.

There's even a request for Germany. Deutschland! That makes sense since there's a strong contingent of Texans with strong German heritage. Besides, a Buc-ee's tank top and swimsuit are perfect for a day at Schlitterbahn.

It seems that the most common request was for more Texas spots -- particularly in places near where Buc-ee's is already. People can't get enough of a good thing! For instance, requests included: north of Houston on I-45 in Conroe, along I-10 near Beaumont between Vidor and Orange, in the Bryan and College Station area (for Aggies and others alike), out near Tyler, etc. Those requests are mainly in east Texas. Buc-ee's is like Pringles; once you start, you can't stop. There was also a request for Amarillo in the Panhandle. Hopefully, others will request locations in the south and west.

Google Trends is also an interesting way to gauge interest. We checked where people are googling for "Buc-ee's" and got this map, which tries to keep things per capita based for comparison. As of publication of this post, the trends were strongest in Texas and then closely followed by the rest of the southeastern US. There's also reportable interest expressed in California, New York (Times Square anyone?), and Pennsylvania.

Until Buc-ee's sets up shop in your backyard, Texas Snax is here for y'all. We'll ship what we can and will leave the light on when y'all come to Texas for a visit.