The Amazing Story Of Texas Buc-ees: Building An Empire On Porcelain.

Founder and co-owner Beaver Aplin:

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Howdy folks and greetings from the Great Plains of North Texas!

When we first moved to Texas we kept getting asked if we'd been to a Buc-ees yet.

A what?
"Oh man! You haven't been to Buc-ees???" They'd ask incredulously.

What's a Buc-ees?
"You know, the big gas stations, they have world's cleanest restrooms...the restrooms are amazing, and more junk food than you can imagine!"

Obviously you weren't really a Texan until you went there. So we found out real fast how loved they are, it's a cult-like following! When I did some research I could see why, so I decided to share it.

Small town boy makes it big

It all started in 1982 when Beaver(Arch) Aplin(at the age of 23) bought an empty lot at the junction of two highways down at Lake Jackson which is an hour South of Houston, Texas.

One of his dad's friends used to call him Bucky Beaver and the nickname Beaver stuck with him so he had a cartoon beaver designed as his store's mascot.

Here he is in front of his first store in 1982 but the mascot sign hadn't gotten there yet:
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He didn't do anything spectacular in that first store, just ran a top quality operation with everything well maintained and cleaned, especially the restrooms. He had experience growing up working in his grandparent's convenience store so he knew what he wanted and how he wanted it ran.

In just 3 years he opened up another store, this one larger than his original 3,000 sq ft store. In fact, this second one was 6,000 sq ft and had it's own kitchen. By then he had partnered with Don Wasek who as an expert on supply chains and retail operations.

The building of an empire

In the first 20 years they opened 20 stores but they borrowed from banks instead of going public to outside investors. This way they kept total control of the company which they maintain as a 50/50 split ownership today.

I love the way they're doing this, maintaining complete control and in the families.

The stores kept getting bigger and bigger. Ya know how they say "Everything is bigger in Texas?" Well, eventually the stores were huge. Like over 50,000 sq ft huge! The newer ones built in the last few years have nearly a hundred gas pumps and located on 12 to 14 acres.

The restrooms are a top priority

And they really do have the cleanest restrooms you can find. They have cleaning crews assigned to work on the restrooms 24 hours a day to make sure they're spotless. And those are huge too. The newer stores have 71 urinals, here's Beaver in one:

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The stalls don't have thin panels between them, they have walls between them and lit signs that tell you if they're occupied or not. Check out the stalls:

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Ever seen convenient store or gas station stalls like that? I didn't think so.

Here's more restroom shots:

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Ha! Notice the writing under the restroom signs says "World Famous?" It's true. They've won many awards for the best restrooms. They've also won awards for their food. In 2016 Bon Appétit named Buc-ee’s “America’s Best Rest Stop” in honor of its food.

They have that great Texas brisket:

And more fudge than anyone should be allowed to have:

And all kinds of sandwiches and other things:
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Of course, the candy selection is totally insane too:

Probably the world's biggest selection of jerky:
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Lots of clothes and stuffed animals. Of course the kids collect Bucky toys and stuffed animals.

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Look at these pumps:

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These places are outrageous in a crazy, big, good way. They've been called The Disneyland of Convenient Stores. Their latest store has 68,000 sq ft! And has been certified by the Guinness Book of World Records as having the world’s longest car wash. lol.

Can they make it outside of Texas?

In 2015 they grossed 960 million dollars! They'll probably gross a billion this year. They have two stores in Florida and Alabama opening to see if they'll have the same appeal there as they do in Texas. They'll change the food to be regional favorites of course.

Why are these guys so successful?

The number one reason is the restrooms. Beaver figured out right from the start that travelers will stop if they know they'll have very clean, safe, restrooms. With no wait lines.

The second biggest draw is the large number of pumps because there are no waiting lines at the pumps either. In smaller gas stations people fill up and run in to use the restroom and cars have to wait in line at the pump. A bottle neck is created.

Of course the rest of the success is due to the insane selections of foods, drinks, merchandise and quality. All of which lend to the cultish following. People buy Buc-ees t-shirts just to say they've been to one! lol. Oh, no discounts either. You pay for the quality.

I love small businesses and entrepreneurs and Beaver Aplin is the ultimate entrepreneur. I hope Buc-ees makes it in Florida and Alabama because if they do, then the whole country is going to see them sooner or later!

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God bless you Beaver. He's 60 years old and just getting started!

Thanks for reading folks, let me know if you've ever been to one or would like to.

-jonboy
Texas
the gentleman redneck

PS- ya know...you might just be a redneck if:

People think you're having a yard sale....and you're not!