Wally's is a small American chain of

convenience store A convenience store, convenience shop, bakkal, bodega, corner store, corner shop, superette or mini-mart is a small retail store that stocks a range of everyday items such as convenience food, groceries, beverages, tobacco products, lotter ...

s and

gas station A filling station (also known as a gas station [] or petrol station []) is a facility that sells fuel and engine lubricants for motor vehicles. The most common fuels sold are gasoline (or petrol) and diesel fuel. Fuel dispensers are used to ...

s. Established in 2020, the chain currently has two locations in the

Midwestern United States The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...

History

The idea of the Wally's business had originated in 2017 when cousins Michael Rubenstein and Chad Wallis of rural

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

were experiencing an unexciting drive home from

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

and came up with the proposal for their own convenience store and gas station that would serve as a tourist attraction for travelers. Rubenstein had worked in the real estate and supply logistics industries while Wallis had experience in operating convenience stores and gas stations and, with their combined experience, would subsequently create plans for their business. The first Wally's location was opened along

Interstate 55 Interstate 55 (I-55) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, connecting the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes. The ...

Pontiac, Illinois Pontiac is a city in Livingston County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. The population was 11,150 in the 2020 census. The 1984 movie '' Grandview, U.S.A.'' was set in Pontiac. History Settlement Pontiac was established on July ...

in September 2020 after its initial plans to open on

Independence Day An independence day is an annual event memorialization, commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or Sovereign state, statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or after the end of a milit ...

were delayed due to the ongoing

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. The travel center covers a total area around , with a 76 fuel pumps as well as 4 electric vehicle charging stations with the capacity for 12 more. Wally's second location opened on March 4, 2022, in

Fenton, Missouri Fenton is a city in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States, and a suburb of St. Louis County. The population was 3,989 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History Due to its proximity to fertile land and the Meramec River, the Fen ...

along

Interstate 44 Interstate 44 (I-44) is an Interstate Highway in the central United States. Although it is nominally an east–west road as it is even-numbered, it follows a more southwest–northeast alignment. Its western terminus is in Wichita Falls, T ...

with 72 fuel pumps and a total footprint of about . Two more Wally's locations are planned to open in the Midwest; one in Whitestown, Indiana and another in

Independence, Missouri Independence is a city in and one of two county seats of Jackson County, Missouri, United States. It is a satellite city of Kansas City, Missouri, and is the largest suburb on the Missouri side of the Kansas City metropolitan area. In 2020 Unite ...

. Both are scheduled to open in 2024.

Products and services

The fuel provided at Wally's is unbranded and supplied by Wallis' family business, Wallis Companies, which operates

Mobil Mobil Oil Corporation, now known as just Mobil, is a petroleum brand owned and operated by American oil and gas corporation ExxonMobil, formerly known as Exxon, which took its current name after history of ExxonMobil#merger, it and Mobil merge ...

/ On the Run stores in the

St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

area. Electric vehicle chargers (including Tesla Superchargers) are also provided underneath a separate canopy. Inside the convenience store are three main kiosks dubbed "experience stations" called Wally's Popcorn, Wally's BBQ Sandwich House, and Wally's Cafe, each respectively selling

popcorn Popcorn (also called popped corn, popcorns, or pop-corn) is a variety of corn kernel which expands and puffs up when heated. The term also refers to the snack food produced by the expansion. It is one of the oldest snacks, with evidence of p ...

, barbeque sandwiches, and

coffee Coffee is a beverage brewed from roasted, ground coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content, but decaffeinated coffee is also commercially a ...

. The store also sells

beer Beer is an alcoholic beverage produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches from cereal grain—most commonly malted barley, although wheat, maize (corn), rice, and oats are also used. The grain is mashed to convert starch in the ...

ice cream Ice cream is a frozen dessert typically made from milk or cream that has been flavoured with a sweetener, either sugar or an alternative, and a spice, such as Chocolate, cocoa or vanilla, or with fruit, such as strawberries or peaches. Food ...

pizza Pizza is an Italian cuisine, Italian, specifically Neapolitan cuisine, Neapolitan, dish typically consisting of a flat base of Leavening agent, leavened wheat-based dough topped with tomato, cheese, and other ingredients, baked at a high t ...

, a selection of beef

jerky Jerky is lean trimmed meat strips which are Food drying, dehydrated to prevent Food spoilage, spoilage and seasoned to varying degrees. Normally, this drying includes the addition of salt to prevent Microorganism, microbial growth through o ...

, and

baked goods Baking is a method of preparing food that uses dry heat, typically in an oven, but it can also be done in hot ashes, or on hot Baking stone, stones. Bread is the most commonly baked item, but many other types of food can also be baked. Heat is ...

and features machines dispensing

slushie A slushy (also spelled slushie and less commonly slushee) is a type of beverage made of flavored ice and a drink, similar to granitas but with a more liquid composition. It is also commonly called a slush, slurpee, frozen beverage, or frozen dr ...

s (branded as Sloosh) as well as

bar. Among the other merchandise are travel gear, camping supplies, apparel, and various other souvenirs. Wally's has been compared to Buc-ee's for similar novelties and amenities including their atypically large stores and gas stations, animal mascots, and merchandise. Semi trucks are also prohibited from Wally's, similar to Buc-ee's. Wally's—located along the historic

U.S. Route 66 U.S. Route 66 or U.S. Highway 66 (US 66 or Route 66) is one of the original highways in the United States Numbered Highway System. It was established on November 11, 1926, with road signs erected the following year. The high ...

corridor—is road trip-themed with mid-20th century design elements through its mascots, color scheme, and signage. For instance, its Illinois location is listed as being on "Holiday Road", a reference to the

theme song Theme music is a musical composition which is often written specifically for radio programming, television shows, video games, or films and is usually played during the title sequence, opening credits, closing credits, and in some instances at ...

of ''

National Lampoon's Vacation ''National Lampoon's Vacation'', sometimes referred to as simply ''Vacation'', is a 1983 American black comedy road film directed by Harold Ramis and starring Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, Imogene Coca, Randy Quaid, John Candy, and Chris ...

''.

Locations

As of 2022, Wally's currently has two locations, with another two planned to open in 2024.

References

External links

Official website
{{Convenience stores Retail companies established in 2020 2020 establishments in Illinois Convenience stores of the United States Gas stations in the United States Economy of the Midwestern United States American companies established in 2020

History

Products and services

Locations

See also

References

External links