Favorite Convience Store (2026)

[ZLoth]

I found this on Facebook a few weeks ago. Take it for what it's worth.


So, my opinion on the convenience stores that I have visited over the past several years...

• Buc-ee's (18) - This isn't just a convenience store, this is a Texas-sized mini-mart with all things Texas with great options on food. Must-visit.
• Quiktrip (QT, 8) and RaceTrac (12) - These two stores are extremely close to me and, quite frankly, is a virtual tie. Very clean stores, good hot food, friendly employees. QT has the online ordering for sandwiches while RaceTrac had the rewards program.
• Allsup's (25) - Of the three stores that I've visited, I'm not too impressed.
• 7-Eleven (1) - The positive is the Slurpees. The negative is the extremely dated design of the stores and how long the food is left under the heat lamps. It's edible, but barely.

Unfortunately, I also don't have a positive opinion of the Arco ampm markets, but that view may be outdated by around eight years as they do not exist in Texas.

[vdeane]

Wow, that list is extremely inconsistent with its descriptions.  Why do some have numbers and some not?  What determines if there are "X U.S. stores" or "X regional stores"?

[I-57/Route 66 Fan]

The one I frequent most is Speedway.

[gonealookin]

The graphic is sort of silly.  The top 15 or so are ranked almost exactly in order of number of stores.  I guess having the highest number of stores does make 7-11 "Most Popular", but as far as actually liking their stores, they are at the bottom of my list.

I've never heard of many of the names below #20, so how could I rank those?

[hotdogPi]

The graphic is sort of silly.  The top 15 or so are ranked almost exactly in order of number of stores.  I guess having the highest number of stores does make 7-11 "Most Popular", but as far as actually liking their stores, they are at the bottom of my list.

I've never heard of many of the names below #20, so how could I rank those?

The graphic has nothing to do with favorability. This thread does but just uses the image as a starting point.

[Max Rockatansky]

I'm seeing a concerning lack of Oxxo and Kiosko for a list supposedly about "America."

[gonealookin]

The graphic is sort of silly.  The top 15 or so are ranked almost exactly in order of number of stores.  I guess having the highest number of stores does make 7-11 "Most Popular", but as far as actually liking their stores, they are at the bottom of my list.

I've never heard of many of the names below #20, so how could I rank those?

The graphic has nothing to do with favorability. This thread does but just uses the image as a starting point.

Well OK, then just post a list of C-store chains ranked by either number of stores or dollar volume of sales.  There's too much interchangeability of "Most Popular" and "Favorite".  "Largest" and "Favorite", now there's a distinction I can understand.

Also I thought the "Kum & Go" brand name had disappeared with the acquisition by Maverik.  It certainly appeared that way when I was in Iowa a few weeks ago. 

[Rothman]

No Onvo...but they're terrible anyway.

[LilianaUwU]

My favorite one is the one that has what I want in stock at a reasonable price, is that anything?

also, convenience*

[Bobby5280]

Popularity should not be ranked on number of store locations. Casey's is ranked #4 on that list. Their stores aren't all that great. The ones here in Lawton are literally an insulting hand-me-down.

I used to have a pretty good attitude towards Love's Country Stores. The sign company where I work built the original Love's signs over 50 years ago and we did business with them up into the 2000's. Now they get all their stuff elsewhere. But the thing that really pissed me off about Love's is they bought out the Lawton-based EZ-GO convenience store chain. But did they re-brand any stores in Lawton or other nearby towns with EZ-GO stores as Love's locations? NO!! They only bought EZ-GO to get its turnpike locations in Oklahoma and Kansas. They spun off the regular neighborhood convenience stores to Casey's. 'Cuz I guess Lawton is too low and icky a place to rate having a Love's store. They're too good for us low-life Lawtonians. Well fuck you too Love's. I have no reason to ever stop at a Love's store ever again.

I'm starting to get a bad attitude toward Buc-ee's as well. Yeah, their mega-stores are great. But their corporate/legal behavior sucks so much ass. Their tactics of suing any company with a cartoon mascot in its logo is fucking bullshit. I really wish America's courts would smack their ass down already. Buc-ee's thing of having a cartoon beaver in its logo does NOT give them ownership of all cartoon mascots. Assholes.

I'm going on a road trip to Colorado pretty soon. I'll probably pass that Amarillo store and just top off the tank at the Walmart in Dumas, TX instead.

[LilianaUwU]

I'm starting to get a bad attitude toward Buc-ee's as well. Yeah, their mega-stores are great. But their corporate/legal behavior sucks so much ass. Their tactics of suing any company with a cartoon mascot in its logo is fucking bullshit. I really wish America's courts would smack their ass down already. Buc-ee's thing of having a cartoon beaver in its logo does NOT give them ownership of all cartoon mascots. Assholes.

Don't get me started on the time they DMCA'd someone over Buc-ee's stickers colored like the trans flag. That says a lot about their abuse of the system, and probably also says something about their politics.

[Bobby5280]

I support LGBTQ people and a few of my local IRL friends are in that group. But! If someone takes the actual Buc-ee's logo, incorporates a pride flag into it and then distributes that sticker as merchandise then it is indeed crossing a serious copyright/trademark legal line. If the person was giving away the decals for free it could be argued as freedom of speech under fair comment laws. But if the person is selling the decals then it's a slam-dunk for Buc-ee's legal team.

All of these other cases where Buc-ee's is suing any convenience store with any kind of cartoon mascot should be thrown out of court immediately. Further, Buc-ee's should be fined by the court to cover various legal fees and pay penalties on top of that just for being stinky, cheesy dick heads. A cartoon moose is not the same thing as a beaver. Anyone would have to be impossibly stupid to get the two things confused. I mean, Goddamn, how was it even legal for Buc-ee's to file some of these law suits in the first place? It's just so idiotic.

[oscar]

So, my opinion on the convenience stores that I have visited over the past several years...

• Buc-ee's (18) - This isn't just a convenience store, this is a Texas-sized mini-mart with all things Texas with great options on food. Must-visit.
• Quiktrip (QT, 8) and RaceTrac (12) - These two stores are extremely close to me and, quite frankly, is a virtual tie. Very clean stores, good hot food, friendly employees. QT has the online ordering for sandwiches while RaceTrac had the rewards program.
• Allsup's (25) - Of the three stores that I've visited, I'm not too impressed.
• 7-Eleven (1) - The positive is the Slurpees. The negative is the extremely dated design of the stores and how long the food is left under the heat lamps. It's edible, but barely.

Unfortunately, I also don't have a positive opinion of the Arco ampm markets, but that view may be outdated by around eight years as they do not exist in Texas.

I once was a fan of the hot dogs at Arco am/pms, but alas they did not get along with my digestive system. They often nickel-and-dime you on restroom access (actually, some charge you a quarter).

I've been to many Allsup's, all mediocre at best. Ditto Stripes, in many of the same markets. Casey's (more Midwestern) are better, but not by much. 7-11s are OK, except they usually have lousy or no public restrooms.

QuikTrips outrank RaceTracs for me.

Circle K is awful. Regrettably, most or all of the Irving gas stations in eastern Canada and New England now have Circle K-branded C-stores. Ugh.

Town Pumps (Montana) have good sandwiches. Alas, they also have mini-casinos, which annoy me.

Huck's often have good pizza offerings.

My current favorite out East is Sheetz. Used to be Wawa. Out West, I like Maverik.

For the truck stops/travel centers on the list, Love's is my fave. Pilot/Flying J, TravelCenters of America, Thornton's, Road Rangers are mediocre (but the last often have Subway counters).

As for Buc-ees, I don't like the food selection. Also too large, which is a disadvantage for their supposedly wonderful restrooms (when I need one, I'm usually in a hurry).

Also I thought the "Kum & Go" brand name had disappeared with the acquisition by Maverik.  It certainly appeared that way when I was in Iowa a few weeks ago.

I thought Kum and Gos had a better sandwich selection than Maverik. But the vaguely obscene brand name will not be missed.

[LilianaUwU]

But the vaguely obscene brand name will not be missed.

Greatest example of a generational divide right here, folks.

[Rothman]

But the vaguely obscene brand name will not be missed.

Greatest example of a generational divide right here, folks.

Wonder how young you have to go before they say it isn't vaguely obscene.

[Scott5114]

I sure do love stopping for gas at...uh...GPM Investments.

[roadman65]

For me its Wawa, Circle K,Racetrac, 7 Eleven, and when I'm in the QT market its them. 

Plus Sheetz if I'm driving through an area with their stores.

[ZLoth]

Wow, that list is extremely inconsistent with its descriptions.  Why do some have numbers and some not?  What determines if there are "X U.S. stores" or "X regional stores"?

I agree, and I'm the original poster. No source has been cited, so take it for whatever it's worth.

I'm starting to get a bad attitude toward Buc-ee's as well. Yeah, their mega-stores are great. But their corporate/legal behavior sucks so much ass. Their tactics of suing any company with a cartoon mascot in its logo is fucking bullshit. I really wish America's courts would smack their ass down already. Buc-ee's thing of having a cartoon beaver in its logo does NOT give them ownership of all cartoon mascots. Assholes.

The name "Buc-ee's" and the beaver logo is part of the corporate identity. If you don't defend it and have a history of defending it, then you run the risk of being ruled that it has fallen into the "public domain".

I used to have a pretty good attitude towards . The sign company where I work built the original Love's signs over 50 years ago and we did business with them up into the 2000's. Now they get all their stuff elsewhere.

I have stopped at the Love's Travel Stop in Calera, OK, but it usually was on the way home from the Choctaw Casino & Resort in Durant and I had to fill up the tank if it was low. I haven't been inside one in years, although I did enjoy looking at the Trucker's 12V items.

[Scott5114]

The name "Buc-ee's" and the beaver logo is part of the corporate identity. If you don't defend it and have a history of defending it, then you run the risk of being ruled that it has fallen into the "public domain".

There's defending against unreasonable infringement and there's being an asshole, and Buc-ee's is far into the latter territory.

[Great Lakes Roads]

S-Tier: Buc-ee's

My favorite "regional" gas stations (Indiana resident)-
1. Sheetz
2. KwikTrip/KwikStar
3. QT
4. Family Express
5. Casey's

I want to like Wally's, but I'm more of a beaver cult myself! 

[Scott5114]

I used to go to Rebel a lot because they had good prices on gas (Arco) and a convenient location near to my grocery store. However, the geniuses that run the place decided it'd be a great idea to change brands to Shell in the middle of the friggin' Iran War, so now it's way the hell too expensive. So now I go to the 7-Eleven by my house, which has cheaper Sinclair gas.

When I lived in Oklahoma, I was an OnCue partisan. It's basically a more generic version of QuikTrip or Maverik. Big enough to have enough anything you could reasonable want without being as overgrown as a Buc-ee's.

[Road Hog]

I frequent 7-Eleven the most because there's one on the way to work and their coffee and breakfast items are cheap and decent.

Casey's is new in my area, but I was impressed by their new-build stores. Not so much the inherited ones.

Same for Allsup's, which always seem dirty to me. Their chimichangas are legendary, though.

[epzik8]

Mine right now is Sheetz, largely because they just built another store in my county and have plans for a third there, making it more accessible to me. However, I don't go there as often as Wawa or Royal Farms, which I also like for differing reasons (such as their quesadillas and fried chicken respectively).

[TheHighwayMan3561]

So, my opinion on the convenience stores that I have visited over the past several years...

• Buc-ee's (18) - This isn't just a convenience store, this is a Texas-sized mini-mart with all things Texas with great options on food. Must-visit.

The other 49 states don't think or care about Texas nearly as much as Texans seem to think they do. 

[kphoger]

My experience these days is pretty well limited to the Minnesota–Texas corridor.

My go-to is Love's.  But I'm perfectly happy to stop at Kum & Go, QuikTrip or OnCue instead.

TA and Pilot/Flying J are fine too, but they tend to be a lot bigger than what I want.

In Minnesota, I gravitate toward Holliday or Kwik Trip, with no real preference either way.

In smaller towns in Missouri and Iowa, I stick to Casey's.

In smaller towns in Texas, it varies from location to location.  I like some Stripes locations, but not others.  There are some smaller chains that have decent stores too:  DK/Yesway (some), Kent Kwik.  Some of these stores have an Allsup's branded convenience store, but not all.

Road Ranger is great, but I've only been to one or two.  I've heard good things about Maverik, but I have yet to visit one.

I avoid most Shell stations, most Sinclair stations, and Cenex unless there's no other choice.  Those are really hit or miss, with Shell and Sinclair tending to be kind of dumpy.