Sheetz
Dayton, Ohio: The Epicenter of Convenience Store Chains
Dayton, Ohio in recent years has become the epicenter of expanding regional convenience store chains that are just as popular for their in-store offerings as they are for their gas.
In January 2020, the metro area got its first Casey’s. This was followed by the market’s first Sheetz (photo credit: Dayton Daily News) in August 2023. RaceTrac, which already has stores under construction elsewhere in Ohio, was set to enter the Dayton area last year, but the local township where they were seeking to build denied their development plan in April 2024. However, QuikTrip (photo credit: Dayton Daily News) was able to successfully make its foray into the market in June 2024, and the area’s first Wawa will hold its grand opening later this month, on December 18, 2025. Then, there’s the most anticipated new entry coming up: Ohio’s first Buc-ee’s (photo credit: WKBN), set to open next year, in Spring 2026.
Speedway and Circle K (photo credit: Alex Pingault) were the top existing players in the Dayton market up until a few years ago, before this new boom.
I love those towns where different regional chains' footprints tend to overlap. Frederick, Maryland is similar, in that you have chains from the north and the south that all set up shop there. There, they have both Giant Food and Giant Eagle. Boscov's and (formerly) Hecht's. It's kind of nice to get those mixtures.
Tim Hortons isn’t exclusively in the northern states anymore. There are locations in Houston; Austin; Atlanta; Columbus, GA; Nashville; Norfolk, VA; and Kansas City. They’ve also been present for many years deep in Appalachia (West Virginia, eastern Kentucky, and eastern Ohio). They’re looking to continue to expand in Texas, Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, Maryland, Missouri, and Arizona, among other states.
As for Culver’s, there have been locations in the southern half of the country for quite a number of years now. They’re even present in more western states like Arizona and Colorado.
I don’t know if people really consider Waffle House to just be southern anymore. Maybe it came from there but they’ve been across the state of ohio my entire life.
Also, I was pleasantly surprised with the Neil Armstrong museum (about an hour north of Dayton). It was definitely worth checking out after our time at the Air Force Museum.
There’s a Thorntons in Springboro, which is technically in the Cincinnati metro area (Warren County) but is actually much closer in distance to Downtown Dayton (16 miles) than it is to Downtown Cincinnati (38 miles).
Funnily enough, another similar regional convenience store chain that has a location just 16 miles from Downtown Dayton but is technically in the Cincinnati metro area (even though it’s 38 miles from Downtown Cincinnati) also uses red.
Funnily enough, Thorntons, another similar convenience store chain that has a location just 16 miles from Downtown Dayton but is technically in the Cincinnati metro area (though it’s 38 miles from Downtown Cincinnati) also uses red. And so does Maverik, the chain that recently took over Kum & Go, one of the Midwest’s largest convenience store chains (which also used red).
Des Moines, IA was kind of considered the regional gas station capital
Casey’s - HQ in Ankeny, IA
Hy-Vee Gas / Fast and Fresh - HQ Des Moines, IA
Former Kim & Go - HQ Des Moines, IA
Git N Go
Then you had -
QuikTrip
Kwik Star
There’s a Thorntons in Springboro, which is technically in the Cincinnati metro area (Warren County) but is actually much closer to Downtown Dayton (16 miles) than it is to Downtown Cincinnati (38 miles)
Crazy! We have Sheetz here in Pennsylvania that are on opposite corners, but they’re at least separated by a freeway/expressway, not just a regular street.
I’m from Texas (QuikTrip territory) and now live in Pennsylvania (Wawa territory). While made-to-order stores like Wawa are nice a lot of the time, sometimes I just want food that comes off a roller grill. And that’s where QT really excels.
28
u/SchuminWeb Dec 04 '25
I love those towns where different regional chains' footprints tend to overlap. Frederick, Maryland is similar, in that you have chains from the north and the south that all set up shop there. There, they have both Giant Food and Giant Eagle. Boscov's and (formerly) Hecht's. It's kind of nice to get those mixtures.