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MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Buc-ee’s , a popular chain of roadside rest stops famous for its Beaver Nuggets and clean restrooms, is coming to West Tennessee.
State Sen. Page Walley, who represents Fayette and several other nearby counties , posted the news on his official Facebook page Wednesday with the caption, “BUC-EE’S WELCOME TO FAYETTE COUNTY!!! Another great economic and commercial achievement for our District!”
“Are you serious?! This is AWESOME!!!” state Sen. Raumesh Akbari responded.
The location is listed in documents posted by Walley as exit 28 off Interstate 40 in Gallaway, just east of the Shelby County line and a few miles outside Memphis.
“We are delighted that Buc-ee’s has chosen Fayette County as their West Tennessee site. Our local officials are to be commended for making this happen. Only minutes from the mega-development of Ford’s new Blue Oval City , folks from across the Country traveling on I-40 will get to enjoy the Bucc-ee’s experience and marvel at all positives emerging in our area,” Walley said in a statement.
The company on Wednesday confirmed it was working on a new location in Gallaway.
“We are very pleased that the Gallaway project is taking shape in the planning and permitting processes,” said Stan Beard, Buc-ee’s Director of Real Estate and Development. “We’ve still got some work ahead of us, but Buc-ee’s is continuing its process toward making Gallaway our first home in West Tennessee.”
The documents also state that Buc-ee’s locations typically employ 175-250, with starting pay between $17 and $19 an hour plus benefits, serving more than 100,000 visitors inside the store each week.
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The site, which is on approximately 28 acres, will bring much-needed jobs and a boost to the economy.
“This location is proposed to be roughly 74,000 square feet with 120 fuel stations so it will bring in a lot of sales tax revenue,” said Angela Jenkins, City of Gallaway City Manager.
Buc-ee’s was founded in Texas in 1982. The company operates 48 travel centers in eight states and gets an A rating from almost everyone who’s ever stopped at one.
“It is really hard to explain why a gas station is so special. You have to see it I think it’s just so enormous. It’s like an event, it’s like a destination,” said Doug Sims, a Memphis resident.
“You can shop there for hours. They have great things for your house. They have clothes, they have food, they have everything you could possibly imagine,” said Susan Todd, Fayette County resident.
Fayette County’s Mayor remains cautiously optimistic about the new store.
“We feel good about this. We’ve come a long way, got things in place and I think both sides are happy,” said Mayor Skip Taylor.
Should the project move forward, TDOT is in talks with Buc-ee’s about improvements to the Gallaway exit to handle the expected increase in traffic.
A public discussion on the project is planned at the May 13 meeting of the Fayette County Industrial Development Board.
Tennessee’s first locations opened to fanfare recently in Crossville and Sevierville on the east side of the state. A Murfreesboro location is underway according to news reports.
The closest location to Memphis is outside Huntsville, Alabama.
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