After a slight delay in the grand opening of Mississippi’s first Buc-ee’s, officials have confirmed that the newest timeline remains intact as the colossal convenience store is set to open its doors to the public as soon as May 2025.
With a cult following often referred to as “Buc-ee’s faithful,” the Texas-based travel station has made a name for itself as one of the more popular roadway rest stops in America. Conversationally called the Disney World of gas stations, Buc-ee’s has been planning its exceptionally large Mississippi location for over three years now. However, the process hasn’t been without hiccups.
First, finding the perfect spot was necessary. Officials from both Mississippi and Buc-ee’s landed on an area of Pass Christian along the Gulf Coast that sees travelers heading east and west, whether it be between New Orleans and Mobile, Ala., or traveling the scenic beachside of the Mississippi Sound. Second, being able to land in that perfect spot required a new overpass being built at Menge Avenue and Interstate 10 to accommodate the location expected to draw thousands of visitors on a daily basis.
While construction of the overpass caused plenty of headache-inducing traffic delays along with various citizen concerns, Harrison County Development Commission executive director Bill Lavers was happy to see the construction of the overpass completed last month. During an interview this week on The Ricky Mathews Show, Lavers noted that once some additional lighting is added to the area, bringing Buc-ee’s to Mississippi will enter the home stretch heading into the planned summer opening date.
“Hopefully, it’s May,” Lavers said when asked when Buc-ee’s will open. “I drove over the bridge, and we’ve got to get some lighting out there. But the bridge is back open, though, so the neighbors are pretty excited about that.”
Lavers, who has seen over $800 million in economic development during his tenure with the commission but no project as notable as the incoming Buc-ee’s, said the foundation has been laid and the walls of the store are up. With a variance recently being obtained for the Buc-ee’s sign, it’s now about the finishing touches and filling the over 200 positions needed to run the travel station.
“The manager is moving from Baldwyn County (Ala.). She’s the assistant manager there and she’s going to be the manager here,” Lavers said. “They really are some incredible people to deal with. So, there’s a lot of excitement there.”
Mississippi’s first Buc-ee’s location will be one of the largest to date, set to round out at 74,000 square feet and include 120 fueling positions, 24 EV charging stations, and a car wash. While snacks such as Beaver Nuggets and brisket tend to get the people going, Lavers said there’s one thing that makes the travel station chain so successful – the bathrooms.
According to Lavers, Buc-ee’s founder Arch “Beaver” Alpin recounted to him during a trip to Mississippi that he built the company with the goal of having the cleanest restrooms in the entire service station industry. With finding a clean bathroom while traveling often a metaphorical game of Russian roulette more than anything, Buc-ee’s has gone above and beyond in providing consistency at the commode. It’s even been awarded “Cleanest Bathrooms in America” by the Cintas Corporation on multiple occasions.
“Beaver said, ‘I’m going to know what the bathrooms look like at my store and I’m going to have the cleanest restrooms.’ He took a huge chance. Everybody thought he was crazy, building his stores around the bathrooms,” Lavers said. “But man, has it paid off.”
While Mississippians and those who travel through the southern part of the Magnolia State still have a few months to wait until the ribbon is cut on the new Buc-ee’s location, here are a few quick facts about the colossal convenience store in the meantime:
Buc-ee’s is expected to help the local economy
On average, each Buc-ee’s location creates at least 200 jobs with good pay, too. Store cashiers make over $17 per hour while team leaders earn up to or over $21 per hour. For a state that has a $7.25 minimum wage, that’s a rather large pay raise for many. Each Mississippi employee is also expected to receive full benefits, a six percent matching 401k, and three weeks of paid vacation. There’s also word that the land surrounding the Pass Christian location is already looking for suitors to build out as the expectation is for Buc-ee’s to bring so many people that it benefits everyone at the intersection.
Buc-ee’s is not a truck stop
Being the world’s largest gas station, you would expect to see a ton of big rigs at Buc-ee’s. Well, that’s not the case as no Buc-ee’s franchises offer gas pumps for 18-wheelers, and it’s been confirmed that Mississippi’s location will not be the first to break that trend either.
Hungry?
Buc-ee’s is famous for its overwhelming selection of food. From BBQ beef brisket sandwiches to a plethora of trail mixes and jerkies, Buc-ee’s food is like no other. There are so many options that a guy by the name of James Scott even wrote a book about all the food at Buc-ee’s.
Buc-ee’s holds a couple of world records
Besides Buc-ee’s literally being the world’s largest convenience store (for perspective, the New Braunfels, Texas location could fit 22 7-Eleven stores or two Whole Foods stores inside), it also holds the record for world’s longest car wash, clocking in at 255 feet of conveyor.
