Casey’s Challenges Buc-ee’s for Convenience Store Dominance

Sevier County finds itself on the front line of the battle between two growing gas station chains

Buc-ee’s arrived in Sevier County, at I-40’s Exit 407, one of the busiest in the country, with trumpets blazing, massive fanfare and a welcoming fit for king.

Casey’s arrived in a different fashion. The Iowa based chain bought 38 Pilot stores in East Tennessee from the very, very rich Haslam family and began renovating the existing sites. On paper, Casey’s should be considered the king of the hill. With roughly 2,900 locations around the Midwest and South, the gas station/convenience store chain is aggressively growing through acquisition and construction.

Texas base Buc-ee’s despite all the hype doesn’t even have 100 stores yet. They have about 54 done and roughly another 16 on the way.

If you didn’t know better, you’d think Buc-ee’s was the massive underdog in this competition. But if you know Buc-ee’s massive business model, you’d know the Beaver bows to no one.

The similarities between Buc-ee’s and Casey’s

Both convenience store chains are known for a business model than hinges on food offerings that tend to be better than what you’d find at many chain restaurants. At Buc-ee’s it’s BBQ and pastries and beef jerky among other things. At Casey’s, it’s the pizza which many people swear by.

Both have devoted followings of people. Those who enjoy a gas station that does more than pump diesel and, I suppose, unleaded.

The difference between Buc-ee’s and Casey’s

Pretty much everything else. With nearly 3,000 locations – including five currently in Sevier County – Casey’s is winning by being everywhere. It can be pit stop on the Interstate or your local convenience store. Market penetration in 19 states is the name of the game.

Buc-ee’s ethos is the classic Texas ethos that everything is bigger in Texas. Their stations are known for being massive with hundreds of gas pumps, massive and well-maintained bathrooms, and giant carwashes plus all the food, snacks and merch. Buc-ee’s aims to be an experience while Casey’s simply wants to stand out in the more traditional convenience store game. Truthfully, I doubt if your added the five total Sevier County Casey’s together, you’d have as many gas pumps, bathroom or square footage as you’d find at the single Buc-ee’s location.

The business models are simply polar opposites. 

About Casey’s

Beginning in Iowa in 1968, Casey’s has grown into 19 other states. Casey’s is kind of amazingly the fifth largest pizza chain in the U.S. It’s known for made-from-scratch dough, real mozzarella and quality ingredients. Favorites include the breakfast pizza as well as specialty pies such as taco, and more. One of two Fortune 500 companies based in Iowa, Casey’s expanded into Texas in 2023-2024. That is when they bought out a pair of chains and adding roughly 220 locations.

The biggest issue I have with the Casey’s business model? Acquisition makes it harder to control quality and mission. Some of the purchased Casey’s underwent little more than a sign change and the addition of a nice pizza station. They can be small with bathrooms that while clean, pale in comparison to Buc-ee’s.

The biggest thing that makes Casey’s standout is the beloved pizza.

About Buc-ee’s

There’s not much left to say about Buc-ee’s. It’s a cultural phenomenon that takes the passion Casey’s has for pizza and applies it to BBQ, Tex-Mex staples, pastries, beef jerky and more. Buc-ee’s carries a variety of branded snacks that include the beloved sweet and maple-y Buc-ee’s nuggets. But also, the conceptually disturbing pickled quail eggs. They sell salsa, BBQ sauce and kolaches – an Eastern European pastry that can be stuffed with sweet or savory options. Buc-ee’s is about setting world records.

The Sevierville facility was briefly the biggest in the world, 74,000 square feet with 120 fueling stations and a 250-foot car wash. Unless you happen to live near a Buc-ee’s it isn’t particularly interested in being your local gas station. It’s built for interstates, for pit stops and to service more people in a day than populate many of the cities in East Tennessee.

Buc-ee’s is a big deal.

Are there any other challengers?

The first that comes to mind is WaWa, a northeastern U.S. chain known for sandwiches. WaWa has more than 1,100 locations and is expanding into the South, including locations in Middle Tennessee. The goal – according to the internet is to have 1,800 stores by 2033. However, there are no current plans for Sevier County locations that I can find.

However, another challenger is the East Tennessee based Wiegel’s, which has 84 locations and is based in Powell, about 30 minutes from Sevierville. Weigel’s – which also operates a dairy – has a particular niche in that it offers its own excellent milk including the best chocolate milk you’re going to find. However, since Weigel’s doesn’t appear to be currently bent on world domination, we won’t consider it for this fight. You should, however, give Weigel’s a follow on Twitter, especially if you’re a Vols fan.

The Winner?

If I’m road tripping, the clear winner is Buc-ee’s. I want the insanity of a Buc-ee’s experience to break the monotony of a long ride on the interstate. I want a better-than-average road trip food and snack experience. And I want the reliability of a clean bathroom where I won’t have to wait 15 minutes. If it’s a local market, I prefer the Casey’s where I can fill up, grab what I need – including a pizza pie for the family – and get on with my day. I think there is room for both.

I would advise them, however, to not pick on Weigel’s, because that social media team does not play. There’s an old newspaper adage that you do not pick an argument with someone who buys ink by the barrel. In this case, there should be an addendum that you do not pick fights with people all hopped up on Chocky Milk.

Are you a Casey’s fan? Let us know what you think in the comments!