In some places they’re known as subs, heroes, bombers, poor boys, grinders, torpedoes, and rockets.   But in "The City of Brotherly Love," they're only known by one name: hoagies. Today, hoagies have earned a prestigious place alongside cheesesteaks and soft pretzels as one of Philadelphia’s top culinary exports.  They have become synonymous with both Philadelphia and Wawa, so much so that in 1992 then-Mayor Rendell proclaimed the hoagie to be the official sandwich of Philadelphia.

At Wawa we have been proud to serve as chief hoagie ambassador, introducing hoagies to millions of people throughout the mid-Atlantic region over the years. We now sell more than 70 million hoagies each year. But it wasn’t always this way. Before the 1930s, in fact, no one had ever before heard of a hoagie. They simply didn’t exist. Hoagies have come a long way since then and over the years we’ve celebrated a number of noteworthy hoagies milestones. So, in honor of Hoagiefest (read below), here is an abridged hoagie history lesson for you:

According to local legend, during the Depression, out-of-work Philadelphian Al DePalma went to Hog Island near the Naval shipyards in South Philadelphia to find work. When he saw the shipyard workers on a lunch break wolfing down their giant sandwiches, his first thought was, "Those guys are a bunch of hogs!" Instead of applying for a job at the shipyard, DePalma opened a luncheonette that served big, cold cut sandwiches, listed on the menu as "hoggies" after the gentleman who served as his inspiration. Business took off and thus, the hoagie was born. (“Hoggie” later became “hoagie” at some point after World War II.)

Wawa’s built-to-order hoagies came on the scene in the late 1970s and were greeted with great fanfare.  Today our hoagies have helped us become a leader in the convenience retail space by providing our customers with the most convenient, delicious sandwich known to man. Over the years we’ve embraced our hoagie heritage and have found unique ways to celebrate the hoagie. Our associates have built record-breaking hoagies (up to one mile in length!) for community festivals and events. We’ve circled City Hall with a hoagie. We’ve temporarily renamed the street in front of City Hall “Hoagie Blvd.” We’ve served hoagies to everyone from troops on aircraft carriers to politicians at national conventions to athletes weary after a charity race. We’ve taken the hoagie beyond Philadelphia’s borders and brought it acclaim across New Jersey and Delaware, Maryland and Virginia.  We even have a virtual world devoted to the hoagie at our Hoagiefest internet microsite. 

This summer, we’re spreading our hoagie love throughout the region with Hoagiefest, a tribute to the almighty hoagie. Our Peace, Love and Shorti Tour will make four stops in four states to honor the hoagie tradition and say thank you to the wonderful people who welcome us into their communities and visit our stores every day. Each stop will feature eating and hoagie building contests, “kara-hoagie” competitions with original Hoagiefest songs, a hoagie heritage exhibit, and – of course – a quarter mile long hoagie. Click here for details

I hope to see you on the Hoagiefest Tour.  And I hope to see you in our stores, enjoying the hoagies that you have come to know and love.

‘Til next time…

I have always been a big believer in keeping things simple and clear.  At Wawa, we strive to instill the concepts of simplicity and value into everything we do, and everything we provide. It’s a belief that goes hand in hand with our commitment to simplifying the lives of our customers, which is more important now, then ever, given the current challenging economic conditions.

In some cases, keeping things simple means making concepts as easy as possible to understand for our customers, and getting to the bottom of common misunderstandings. So we’re letting customers know to be on the lookout for credit surcharges imposed by some gasoline retailers in markets where this practice occurs, because at times, the pricing structure can be confusing, and people simply might not be aware that they are paying more when using credit – until it’s too late.

All of us at Wawa believe in staying true to our brand and focusing on our values to build upon the trust we’ve achieved with our customers.  That’s why we continue to do everything we can to drive prices down and eliminate confusion on gas pricing for customers.  We do this by offering one low price for both cash and credit – and never imposing a credit surcharge.  While some retailers have adopted the practice of advertising one price for gas but charging another when you pay with credit, Wawa is committed to one and only price –whether you are paying with cash or credit, because we are dedicated to offering pricing that is fair and simple to understand.

We don’t believe in surcharges for any of our products or services, regardless of the method of payment, and we admire companies that take this same approach.  Like Southwest Airlines, we are committed to no “hidden fees”.  We understand that it’s not easy for consumers today to navigate through a sea of surcharges. Whether customers are using an ATM or traveling on the airlines, they have to beware of extra fees for bags or evening accessing their own money, a practice we don’t want to perpetuate. 

We have a long history of avoiding surcharges.  In 1995, when we first installed ATM’s (automatic teller machines) in our stores, we refused to apply an upfront surcharge to our customers.  To this day, we constantly hear from customers about how much they appreciate this service and the fact that we have never added a surcharge.

The drive to make customers lives simpler is what fuels Wawa, a principal that goes back to 1964, when the first Wawa convenience store was opened. Even back then, Grahame Wood recognized the importance of evolving to meet customers’ needs.   Today we recognize the need to provide the high quality products at the most competitive prices possible, and to clarify certain issues around some of these products that cause customer confusion.

We are and have always been driven by our desire to delight you and it is our pledge to provide the best pricing possible for fuel and other products that we carry.  Quite simply, all Wawa gas stores are committed to offering our customers a quick fueling stop that guarantees quality at low prices regardless of method of payment.  It’s another way we hope to help make all our customers’ lives more convenient. 

‘Til next time.