Wawa of Tomorrow: Wawa Unveils Its New “Fly-Thru” Concept

Wawa has adjusted its new store format to include mobile order pickup windows and larger travel centers.

The Delaware Valley-based convenience store chain is dropping the drive-thru store model.

According to the Philadelphia Business Journal, some of the new Wawa stores being built in the Midwest will have mobile order pickup windows, or, as Wawa is calling them, 'Fly thrus'.

Wawa President Brian Schaller told the Philadelphia Business Journal that the windows allow customers to order from Wawa's mobile app and pick up their order in as little as 30 seconds without leaving their cars.

Wawa Ends the Drive-Thru Model Experiment

In early 2021, Wawa opened a standalone drive-thru-only convenience store in Morrisville, Bucks County, PA, intended to be the first of many such stores.

What they learned at that test location is that the drive-thru didn't really work for Wawa.

The Falls Township location closed in 2024.

Schaller told PBJ that the model was a "great experiment" but proved too difficult to marry the fast pace expected of a drive-thru with Wawa's customizable, expansive menu of over 3,000 items.

“We said we're not going to be able to meet the world-class standard of what a drive-thru 4-minute turnover needs to be if you can basically shop the whole store."

Wawa Tests the Fly Thru Model

Schaller has confidence in the Wawa mobile order pickup windows. The Fly-Thrus are in service at one store in Pennsylvania and one in New Jersey, and at three newer stores in the Midwest.

The concept allows customers to order from Wawa’s mobile app and pick up their order in as little as 30 seconds without leaving their cars.

Customers have been favoring mobile ordering in recent years, and the Fly Thrus will be an extension of that.

“We think the mobile pickup window is really where the future is,” said Wawa President Brian Schaller.

Wawa's New Travel Centers

Wawa's other new store prototype is their travel centers. They opened the first one last August in North Carolina and have two planned for Ohio and Indiana.

The travel center format is over 8,000 square feet, offers Wawa food and beverages, fuel for passenger vehicles, and a high-speed diesel fuel court for professional tractor-trailer drivers, and 20 fueling spots for passenger vehicles.

The stores have interior and exterior seating and other amenities that include a CAT weigh station, free parking for tractor-trailers, restrooms, and a pet relief area.

Wawa's Expansion Continues

Wawa plans to open about 95 stores in 2026, roughly the same number it opened last year. The chain has approximately 1,200 locations.

Wawa is expanding in Central Pennsylvania, Northern Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, Alabama, and Florida. Schaller said its first Tennessee store will open next month.