Buc-ee’s new 53,470 square-foot travel center in Auburn opens soon. Here are the details

Buc-ee’s is celebrating its grand opening in Auburn on April 10 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The 53,470 square-foot travel center features 120 fueling positions along with snacks, meals and drinks for travelers. It will be the first location in east Alabama, Buc-ee’s general counsel Jeff Nadalo told the Ledger-Enquirer.

Buc-ee the Beaver, the travel center’s mascot, will be attending the grand opening event at 2500 Buc-ee’s Boulevard. Auburn Mayor Ron Anders along with other Auburn and Lee County officials will attend the ceremony.

“(Store openings) have high energy and high spirit,” Nadalo said. “And I think it’s an opportunity for those who haven’t been to a Buc-ee’s to experience the hospitality and high energy environment that we provide.”

Auburn was identified as an area where families and people on road trips are traveling through, he said, which was part of the reason that made it a good location for a Buc-ee’s. The region also had a strong workforce and supportive local officials.

“We need the support of the local authorities and officials so that we are able to not just open a store,” Nadalo said, “but do it with the support of the local community because, obviously, our stores are unique and almost every single location requires a cooperative nature with the local officials.”

Travelers who visit the center can use their clean restrooms and eat freshly prepared meals, he said, including Texas barbecue. Other popular Buc-ee’s products include homemade fudge, kolaches, Beaver Nuggets, jerky and fresh pastries.

Buc-ee’s offers shopping opportunities for people that want to find gifts, items for their home and clothing that they wouldn’t find anywhere else, Nadalo said.

“We scour the country and the world looking for unique items that we think would be a treat for somebody to find while they’re traveling throughout the country,” he said.

New jobs

Buc-ee’s is bringing 200 jobs to the Auburn area with a starting pay “well above minimum wage,”according to a news release. Employees will receive full benefits, a 100% matching 401k up to 6% and three weeks of paid vacation.

The company believes that having well-paid employees is important to helping them grow within the company, Nadalo said, and also attracts better employees to ensure customers have clean bathrooms and a good experience.

“We believe that (employees) establish their roots at Buc-ee’s and view it as a career,” he said. “In fact, we have had a number of folks on my own team who started off as store level cashiers and moved their way up through the organization.”

Founded in Texas during the early 1980’s, Buc-ee’s locations have spread across the South in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Kentucky and Tennessee. The brand will continue its expansion nationwide with locations in Colorado, Virginia and Missouri.

“We are just excited to be coming,” Nadalo said. “And we hope folks will give us an opportunity and they’ll enjoy the unique food offering and great service that we have to offer.”