Buc-ee’s Business Model has been copied

Wally’s is on I-55 just over an hour south of Chicago. Opened September 2020. It’s the only Wally’s to date but their website suggests they’re looking to open more locations.

I stopped with the family earlier today and it’s modeled exactly like Buc-ee’s. Jerky bar, bakery, BBQ carving station right in the middle. Plus branded jerky and other souvenir stuff. They didn’t have Beaver nuggets, but they did have 70+ gas pumps.

I can’t imagine the overhead at one of these places, especially when you only have one location and don’t benefit from the scale that Buc-ee’s has. I’m not sure how this place will make it. We were there at 5:00pm on a weekday during the summer and the place was practically empty.

I do give the edge to Wally’s on their brisket sandwich. Buc-ee’s BBQ has always been below par to me. I also give Wally’s the edge on exterior aesthetics. Plus they have a full-size Winnebago inside the store.

Bathrooms are a push, but the faucet in Wally’s is a horizontal bar with a soap dispenser on the left, water in the middle and an air dryer on the right…..on every sink. Never seen that before.

Buc-ee’s gets the edge on everything else including jerky, baked goods, breadth of products and originality.

Wally’s website

First photo is my pic showing how slow they were at 5:00 today.