Wawa is working on opening its first Dauphin County store in Middletown, Central Pennsylvania, part of a vanguard of 40 Wawa locations planned in that region by 2030.

“We see Harrisburg up to State College, and I’ll say everything between and around it,” said Wawa President Brian Schaller.

Though Wawa has not given a specific date for its opening, the moment will be significant because it’s Wawa’s first full move into Sheetz territory, writes Patrick Berkery for The Keystone.

There are already Wawa stores in Lehigh Valley, Berks and Lancaster Counties where Sheetz has a large footprint, but until now, Wawa has tried not to encroach heavily on Sheetz’s territory.

Contrary to rumor, there apparently is no gentleman’s agreement in place between the two competing chains about staying out of each other’s way, and Wawa is on a massive expansion kick right now in Pennsylvania and around the nation.

While a corporate source at Wawa admitted they had heard the rumor of a gentleman’s agreement, they didn’t know anything about its existence. 

The source also apparently hadn’t heard of Rutter’s, a York-based convenience store chain that’s also on an expansion kick, currently with 90 stores mostly south of I-80 in Central Pennsylvania, Maryland and West Virginia.

Read more about Pennsylvania’s crowded convenience store territories in The Keystone.

When you’re hungover and reviewing food, nothing gets sugar-coated. Burritos, sandwiches, and questionable coffee go under the microscope.

Editor’s Note: This post first appeared on DELCO Today in April 2024.