Not Every Buc-Ee’s Gas Station Is Massive, And These Small Locations Are Proof

The saying goes “everything is bigger in Texas,” but that’s not actually always the case for Buc-ee’s. This Texas-based gas station has become known for its large convenience stores and rows of gas pumps, which has made it a popular rest stop during road trips, providing fuel, a grocery store’s worth of food (including fresh-cut meat), and clean restrooms. The largest store and gas station is in Luling, Texas at 75,593 square feet — beating the previous biggest location at Sevierville, Tennessee, 74,707 square feet. Other large locations opened in 2012, establishing Buc-ee’s as a road trip destination.

The chain has come a long way from the first store, opened in 1982 in Lake Jackson, Texas. It’s now the smallest Buc-ee’s store at 3,000 square feet. Despite being the first-ever Buc-ee’s, this location is generally rated lower than newer stops, likely because it’s missing the fresh brisket and other special touches that the chain has become known for. One review on Yelp lamented: “Not a real Buc-ee just a normal gas station, super small.” You’d be going for the historical aspect, not the true Buc-ee’s experience.

Texas is home to other relatively small Buc-ee’s locations from the time before the chain decided bigger is better. The second location, also in Lake Jackson, only has 12 pumps, as does the Alvin location near Houston. The Buc-ee’s in Eagle Lake has a larger store but just 10 pumps. The Sevierville Buc-ee’s has 120 gas pumps.

While the 100-plus fuel pumps and fresh brisket are most definitely draws for tourists on the go, Buc-ee’s is largely known for its restrooms — using the bathroom is of the unwritten rules of visiting a Buc-ee’s.

“If you’ve been to Buc-ee’s, you may already know that this friendly neighbor along the highways has the cleanest restrooms in America,” the website itself proclaims. Ribbons crowned Buc-ee’s thrones as the cleanest restrooms in the country back in 2012, noting the constant cleaning, the spaciousness, and the surprising amenities like private closet-like stalls, artwork, and upgraded sinks, toilets, and hand-dryers.

Back in 2017, Buc-ee’s owners Arch Aplin III and Don Wasek planned for the massive travel destination in Katy, right outside Houston, with the bathrooms as the main attraction. Alpin designs the bathrooms himself, creating large entryways, high ceilings, and bright lighting. That large location has 30 urinals, 12 toilets in the men’s room, and 28 toilets in the women’s, all separated by walls and a metal door. Employees were hired just to clean the bathrooms.