BETHLEHEM TWP., Pa. - Folks looking to fill up their vehicle's gas tank while fueling up on coffee, hoagies and "Sizzli" breakfast sandwiches will soon have a new spot to frequent in Northampton County.
Wawa, the Delaware County-based convenience store and gas station chain with more than 1,000 locations in six states and Washington D.C., will hold a grand opening of its newest regional location next week at 3608 Nazareth Pike (Route 191) in Bethlehem Township.
The site, just north of the Oakland Road intersection, was previously home to a Leiser’s Rentals and Sales building.
Wawa, the Delaware County-based convenience store and gas station chain with more than 1,000 locations in six states and Washington D.C., will hold a grand opening of its newest regional location on April 25 at 3608 Nazareth Pike (Route 191) in Bethlehem Township.
The new Wawa location will open at 8 a.m. April 25 with free T-shirts for the first 100 customers, along with free coffee for all customers.
Festivities also will include a ribbon-cutting celebration at 8:30 a.m.; photo opportunities with Wawa’s mascot, Wally Goose; and Wawa’s signature “Hoagies for Heroes” hoagie-building competition, where donations are made to the charities of choice of the contest’s participating local firefighters, police officers and emergency responders.
The new 24-hour Wawa, between Josh Early Candies and Dunkin’, will feature 16 fueling stations and a 6,300-square-foot convenience store with self-order kiosks for food and drinks.
Wawa, Inc., a privately held company, began in 1803 as an iron foundry in New Jersey.
Toward the end of the 19th century, owner George Wood took an interest in dairy farming and the family began a small processing plant in Wawa, Pennsylvania, in 1902. The milk business was a huge success, due to its quality, cleanliness and "certified" process.
As home delivery of milk declined in the early 1960s, Grahame Wood, George's grandson, opened the first Wawa Food Market in 1964 in Pennsylvania as an outlet for dairy products.
Today, Wawa locations in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Florida and Washington, D.C. offer freshly prepared and ready-to-go foods, coffee and other beverages, fuel services and surcharge-free ATMs.
Popular food offerings include Sizzli breakfast sandwiches, hoagies, paninis, wraps, quesadillas, burgers, pizza, salads, soups and sides.
Wawa opened its 1,000th store last year in Oaklyn, N.J., and it plans to open its first North Carolina store in May in Kill Devil Hills.
The chain has also announced its future expansion to the Florida Panhandle, Alabama, North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana, with more details on those new locations to be shared soon.
The new Bethlehem Township Wawa will supplement about two dozen other Lehigh Valley area Wawa locations, including a location that opened in December at 770 Hellertown Road in Bethlehem and the area’s first drive-thru location that opened in February at 6216 Hamilton Blvd. in Lower Macungie Township.
The Lehigh Valley's first drive-thru Wawa location opened in February on Hamilton Boulevard in Lower Macungie Township.
Locations opening in 2022 included those at 4089 Jandy Blvd. in Lower Nazareth Township, 364 Susquehanna St. in Allentown and 6680 Route 309 in Upper Saucon Township.
Several other Lehigh Valley Wawa locations are under development or have been proposed, including those at 4457 Easton Ave. in Bethlehem Township; Highland Avenue and Route 512 in Hanover Township, Northampton County; Route 329 (Nor Bath Boulevard) and Savage Road in Allen Township; 1810 Route 309 in South Whitehall Township; 3015 Lehigh St. in Allentown; and near Routes 309 and 873 in North Whitehall Township.
Wawa is also listed alongside other popular businesses on the Whitehall Mall’s conceptual redevelopment site plan.
