Royal Farms, a Maryland-based gas station/convenience store/fried chicken restaurant business, is expanding in Delaware County, where rival gas station/convenience store/hoagie restaurant company Wawa Inc. is headquartered.
Royal opened its first store earlier this year on Kirkwood Highway, just west of Wilmington, Del., and has plans to open more this month in Ridley Township (where the developer received $3.75 million in Pennsylvania taxpayer funds for the development that includes the store) and next year in Upper Chichester.
According to Royal’s local broker, Zommick McMahon Commercial Real Estate Inc., the company has a property in Concord Township (near the US 1/US 202 junction) where it plans to develop a future store and is exploring for more across the Philadelphia area.
“Coming north from Delaware, the Delaware Valley is a natural extension for us,” Royal marketing manager Ed Stronski said in a statement.
Royal Farms runs 160 locations in Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia, as well as Pennsylvania, and is controlled by a third generation of the original Kemp family (as Wawa is still partly held by the Woods and Sheetz by the Sheetzes) (Wawa has 600 from North Jersey to Virginia, plus central Florida.)
Royal has been experimenting with a longer restaurant menu that includes mashed potatoes, three-bean barbeque, and meatball “subs,” which are similar to hoagies in cities like Baltimore.
-A plot on Stewart Avenue, across from the Boeing complex, immediately off I-95’s Ridley exit. A store is being built and is expected to open by the end of the year.
-A location in Upper Chichester, Pa., near Route 452 and Meetinghouse Road, which is under contract and awaiting permission.
-A location on McDade Boulevard in Glenolden, Pa., that is currently undergoing approval.
Is Royal Farms a Maryland-only business?
Royal Farms, based in Baltimore, Maryland, is a privately held convenience store company. In Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, and West Virginia, the corporation has over 200 locations. In addition to house-made fried chicken, chicken sandwiches, and fries, many of the stores sell gasoline and electric vehicle charging on the premises.
What is the meaning of Wawa?
“Wawa” is a Native American word for the Canada Goose, which was discovered in the Delaware Valley over a century ago. Our first dairy farm was established on land in Wawa, Pennsylvania, a rural area of the state. That is why the goose appears in the Wawa company logo.
Who is Wawa’s owner?
Chris Gheysens, who took over for Howard Stoeckel in January 2013, is the current CEO of Wawa. Eleuthre (Thre) du Pont was the company’s CFO and president, although she is no longer employed there. The board of directors is chaired by Richard “Dick” Wood Jr. Many members of the Wood family work for the company. Despite the fact that Wawa is a family-run business, Wawa employees hold about half of the firm, with more than 40% of that owned through the company’s employee stock ownership program.
What is the oldest Wawa in the world?
Timeline of the Wawa Corporation On April 16, 1964, the first Wawa Food Market debuted at 1212 MacDade Boulevard in Folsom, Pennsylvaniaand it’s still there!
Is Royal Farm Gas of the highest quality?
I would not use the fuel if it was not “Top Tier” gasoline compliant. Yeah, I just read on a website that they obtain their gas from the lowest bidder, which may be Exxon excess or a top-tier firm.
What is the total number of Royal Farms locations?
There are already 247 stores and counting! Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and West Virginia are the states where we currently have stores.