Summertime travel time is almost upon us, and to some of us that means a stop at Buc-ee's, the chain of big, family-friendly country stores with good food, habit-forming snacks, famously clean restrooms, and enough gas pumps to cause parking lot traffic jams.
They keep popping up along the nation's interstates, especially in Texas and the rest of the South. And they keep fueling Buc-ee's buzz on social media.
Dear fans of Bucky the Beaver and his nuggets: What if you didn't have to go to Texas or some other state to satisfy your cravings and curiosity? What if you didn't have to leave Oklahoma? Where would you want to see a Buc-ee's here — besides "somewhere close"?
When, oh, when will Oklahoma get a Buc-ee's?
It will be awhile. Buc-ee's tells people where its next stores will be. Stores are scheduled to open later this year in Smiths Grove, Kentucky; in Amarillo, Texas, and Brunswick, Georgia, next year; and in Rockingham County, Virginia, and Boerne, Texas, in 2026.
None in Oklahoma yet. While we dream, we asked some experts where a Buc-ee's might eventually land around Oklahoma City.
MORE:What's so great about Buc-ee's? Fans love the food, gas pumps, mascot, sparkling bathrooms
Buc-ee's prefers to locate in rural areas and outside major metro areas
David Hartnack, managing director, owner, and retail property specialist, for OKC's NAI Sullivan Group:
"There's been a lot of excitement and speculation about where the first Buc-ee's in Oklahoma will be. In Texas, Buc-ee's seems to have opened stores in two different styles of locations. The first type being morerural highway focusedareas between major population centers and with a state highway nearby. This makes me think of areas like Chickasha, at the intersection of U.S. Highway 81 and Interstate 44.
"Buc-ee's has also seemed to open stores on interstates on the outskirts of major metros. I couldsee a site in Purcell or Newcastle making a lot of sense for them, although personallyI'd love to see a Buc-ee's in Stroud, half way between Tulsa and OKC."
MORE:USA Today's Best Gas Stations for Food: Buc-ee's is No. 10
Look for a Buc-ee's somewhere at the edge of Oklahoma City
Stuart Graham and Mark Inman, senior vice presidents and retail property specialists with CBRE Group:
Graham: “Buc-ee's makes sense along I-35 between Norman and downtown OKC, especially given the traffic to and from OU.I could also see them along I-40 in Midwest City or Yukon.”
Inman: “Due to their large site size requirement, it would probably push them to the edges of the market.Some potential locations could be:
- I-40 between Yukon and OKC.
- I-35 south of OKC.
- I-35 north OKC or Edmond, or north of Edmond.
- I-40 between Shawnee and OKC.
- I-44/Turner Turnpike if access can be found.
"OKC residents, myself included, would like to see them closer into the OKC area for ease of access, but assembling land closer to the city is more difficult.Buc-ee's seems to be a bit of a travel stop, so an ideal location might be on the side of a highway that is inbound travel into a metro area."
MORE:USA Today's Best Gas Station Brands: Buc-ee's is No. 10
When Buc-ee's comes to Oklahoma, it will be along an interstate
Jim Parrack, senior vice president and retail specialist with OKC's Price Edwards & Co.:
"Buc-ee’s is a retail phenomenon. Just like Trader Joe’s or In-N-Out Burger, you typically either love them or hate them, and the lovers are a bit cultish, which drives big sales. Buc-ee’s is pretty conservative about expanding, two or three stores per year. The closest to us now is Dallas. ... They will come at some point.
"Buc-ee’s, from a real estate perspective, is all about cars and access, so it would be on an interstate with high traffic counts. Often Buc-ee’s gets assistance from cities to upgrade the nearby intersection given the amount of traffic. Typically they need 10-15 acres but sometimes buy more to get the right location for 50,000- to 75,000-square-foot stores, maybe 80-100 pumps, 600-700 parking spaces. The numbers are huge and they need them all.
MORE:Your Buc-ee's questions answered: Where's the biggest store? How many new stores are coming?
"Site speculation here leads you to three places: somewhere between Moore and Norman, as an example, maybe the field on the southwest corner of Indian Hills Road and Interstate 35, but that intersection would need major work.
"West Interstate 40 would be another possible landing spot: There are a number of possible spots between MacArthur Boulevard and Garth Brooks Boulevard. And, lastly, north Interstate 35, probably north of Route 66 although the southeast corner of 15th and Interstate 35 would be an interesting choice even with Lake Arcadia to the east."
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Senior Business Writer Richard Mize has covered housing, construction, commercial real estate and related topics for the newspaper and Oklahoman.com since 1999. Contact him at rmize@oklahoman.com.Sign up for his weekly newsletter, Real Estate with Richard Mize.You can support Richard's work, and that of his colleagues, by purchasing a digital subscription to The Oklahoman. Right now, you can get 6 months of subscriber-only access for $1.
