Ohio finally got its first Buc-ee's—and promptly lost its mind.
According to The Houston Chronicle, the chain’s new Huber Heights location reportedly rang up more than $1 million in sales on opening day, setting a company record for the biggest grand opening in Buc-ee’s history.
The opening drew crowds more commonly associated with a sneaker drop or a playoff game. Hotels around Huber Heights were reportedly booked solid the weekend before the store opened, as fans traveled in from across the Midwest to get a look at Ohio’s first Buc-ee’s.
More than a week later, the crowds still had not let up, with visitors coming from neighboring states—and even from Japan.
Huber Heights Mayor Jeff Gore said Buc-ee’s executives told him the Ohio debut broke every record the company had. “We’ve heard reports back from Buc-ee’s that this location was their single biggest grand opening they’ve had at any store location, anywhere in the country,” Gore said.
The Texas-based chain, founded in 1982 by Arch 'Beaver' Aplin III, has transformed itself from a roadside convenience store into a full-blown cultural attraction. Buc-ee’s locations are known for sprawling floorplans, 100-plus gas pumps, wall-to-wall merchandise, brisket sandwiches, and the kind of spotless bathrooms that somehow inspire genuine devotion.
Ohio’s first store was always expected to be big. But the size of the response appears to have surprised even Buc-ee’s. Before the Huber Heights location officially opened, the company had already announced plans for a second Ohio store in Mansfield, signaling that it sees the Buckeye State as its next major expansion market.
Buc-ee’s has spent the past few weeks dealing with a much different kind of attention. Recently, a Florida customer went viral after posting a TikTok rant over the chain’s new pay-at-the-pump policy.
The man claimed he drove 30 miles to a Buc-ee’s in St. Augustine to use a gift card for gas, only to be told it would not work at the pump.
He responded by tearing roughly $200 worth of Buc-ee’s merchandise off his car and throwing aside a stuffed beaver mascot.
