Buc-ee’s finally has a store approved in North Carolina. Here’s what you need to know.

When Buc-ee’s opens its first store in North Carolina, you’ll know you’re getting close before you even see the 400-square-foot sign perched 90 feet in the air over the city of Mebane.

The massive, Texas-based travel center announces its presence with striking red, black and yellow billboards, enticing interstate travelers with catchy slogans like “We’re either a a very well-kept secret or our sign fell down again, or “My Overbite is Sexy.”

The Mebane City Council unanimously voted after an eight-hour meeting lasting into the wee hours of Jan. 9 to approve Buc-ee’s’ first North Carolina store on a 32-acre site at Exit 152 on Interstates 85/40 in Alamance County.

This was Buc-ee’s second attempt to make a foray into North Carolina. The first was about eight miles east in Orange County, where the project was roundly dissed before Buc-ee’s withdrew its application.

Here’s everything to know about the new store.

Where is Buc-ee’s building in NC?

Buc-ee’s will be built in Alamance County at 1425 Trollingwood-Hawfields Road. That’s at Exit 152 off Interstates 40/85 in Mebane, about 50 miles west of downtown Raleigh and 130 miles north of uptown Charlotte.

A Buc-ee’s affiliate, CSMS Management LLC, paid $12.8 million for the land in October, according to Alamance County records.

Neighboring tenants include two UPS facilities, a copper mill, and Lidl, Walmart and Amazon distribution centers. The site is near homes, Hawfields Presbyterian Church and the Hawfields baseball field.

The exit also has two older travel centers — Pilot and Love — that also cater to tractor-trailer trucks. Buc-ee’s does not serve trucks.

How big will Buc-ee’s be in North Carolina?

Buc-ee’s will have a 74,000-square-foot convenience store, 120 gas pumps (60 fueling stations) and 652 parking spaces, including 24 electric vehicle charging stations. More EV stations could be added in the future, said Stan Beard, Buc-ee’s director of real estate.

The building will be slightly larger than the nearby Tanger Outlets mall, but less than half the size of Mebane’s Walmart.

What makes Buc-ee’s so famous?

Buc-ee’s is both a travel center and a destination with a cult following. Some fans make a point of visiting multiple locations to stock up on Beaver Nuggets, brisket and fudge. Here are some of the highlights:

▪ Cheap gas: Buc-ee’s doesn’t advertise its gas prices, Beard said, because customers know the prices are going to be competitive.

▪ Clean bathrooms: Each store has dozens of large stalls, each with tall privacy walls and doors and multiple rolls of toilet paper. The attendants keep the restrooms spotless 24 hours a day. In 2012, the Buc-ee’s store in New Braunfels, Texas, even won the Cintas America’s Best Restroom award.

▪ Cute mascot: The company’s name is a combination of founder Arch “Beaver” Aplin’s childhood nickname “Beaver” and the name of his Labrador retriever Buck, and the beaver mascot is on everything, from clothing to toys, camping gear and home goods. Visitors enjoy taking photos with a life-size Buc-ee’s mascot or a metal Buc-ee the beaver statue designed by Texas sculptor Clint Howard.

▪ Fresh food: Buc-ee’s cooks prepare fresh food all day, beginning with breakfast — sandwiches, biscuits, kolaches (a type of pastry), tacos and more — from 4 a.m. to 11 a.m., when the kitchen transitions to lunch and dinner items.

In addition to the sweet and savory kolaches, Buc-ee’s serves fresh fruit and salads; Texas brisket, pork barbecue and beef prepared at the Texas Round Up, an open kitchen where visitors can watch the meat get chopped and sauced; and a multitude of pre-packaged and fresh beef jerky. Fan favorites are the Beaver nuggets and homemade fudge, plus the store stocks typically convenience drinks and snacks, from Pepsi and Coke products, coffee and other drinks to candy, cookies and pastries.

What is a Beaver Nugget?

The original version of Buc-ee’s most famous treat is made from puffed corn with a brown sugar coating, with a texture similar to Kellogg’s Corn Pops cereal. Other flavors of Nuggets (and Nug-ees, the savory version) include Sea Salted Caramel, Cinnamon Sweet, Dark Chocolate, Bold and Spicy, and White Cheddar.

Beaver Nuggets are also available through Amazon.

When will Buc-ee’s open in North Carolina?

The store could open by 2025, but major roadwork needs to be completed first.

What is the closest Buc-ees to North Carolina?

It depends on where you live. Residents in the central and eastern part of the state are just a few hours from the Buc-ee’s in Florence, South Carolina, which opened in 2022. If you live in the west, there is a Buc-ee’s in Sevierville, Tennessee, just north of Pigeon Forge.

Why are some people opposed to Buc-ee’s?

People have expressed concerns about how Buc-ee’s will affect traffic on surrounding roads, including N.C. 119, which serves as a busy corridor from southern Alamance County to Mebane and Interstates 85/40.

There also are concerns about water, air and noise pollution; an increase in stormwater runoff into Back Creek and the Haw River; and working conditions for Buc-ee’s employees.

N.C. Department of Transportation data showed roughly 10,000 trips a day on Trollingwood-Hawfields Road in 2019. A traffic study showed Buc-ee’s could add another 1,000 to 1,500 trips during peak weekday hours, and nearly 2,300 trips at peak hours on Saturdays.

Buc-ee’s does not serve tractor-trailer trucks.

A Voice for Efland, which helped defeat Buc-ee’s travel center plans in Orange County, and Alamance County-based 7 Directions of Service collected over 1,600 signatures on a petition against the project and rallied speakers to attend public hearings.

7 Directions of Service organizers said the area could be part of the historic Indian Trading Path, or Catawba Path, which connects the historic tribal lands south of Mebane to those in Orange County.

A 1997 site survey from the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources found no archaeological sites or trading path markers. Orange County Register of Deeds Mark Chilton also has traced the path’s history, finding that it runs in two directions south of the site.

Does Buc-ee’s hurt local businesses?

It depends. Local mom-and-pop gas stations could lose some of the highway traveler business they now enjoy, but Buc-ee’s also attracts new businesses wherever it goes and makes room in every store for local products and vendors.

About 80% of Buc-ee’s visitors — 5 million a year are expected — travel 50 miles or more to reach a store, Beard said. They are not stopping in Mebane now, but a new, interactive kiosk and local products offered at the store will let them learn more about the surrounding area, he said.

“We are not in the business of taking business away from a small town,” Beard said. “We’re on the freeway. People are ... going to stop in Buc-ee’s, they’re going to buy their stuff, and if they have a few minutes, they’re going to look at the kiosk, they’re going to go, wow, Mebane’s pretty cool. Maybe this time or maybe next time ... let’s go downtown, let’s see what’s around.”

How many people will Buc-ee’s hire in Mebane?

At least 225 full-time workers, although more full- and part-time workers could be added as needed, Beard said. Only four or five managers will be relocated from existing Buc-ee’s stores. The remaining workers will be hired locally, he said.

How much do jobs at Buc-ee’s pay?

Buc-ee’s wages vary from state to state, but the travel center typically pays $14 to $17 an hour for cashiers, bathroom attendants and warehouse staff. Food service workers can earn up to $20, with management earning $20 to $35 an hour.

Full-time employees also receive health insurance, three weeks of paid vacation, and 401(k).

Online employee reviews have given Buc-ee’s low marks for strict policies and long hours with no breaks. Beard said the company’s policy “has matured” to include lunch breaks and employee seating areas.

North Carolina and federal laws do not require employers to give rest or meal breaks to employees age 16 and older.

What is the expected economic impact of Buc-ee’s in North Carolina?

Greensboro attorney Amanda Hodierne, who represents Buc-ee’s, said the company will pay annual property taxes of $120,300 to the city and county. Project documents show it could generate $1.8 million in sales tax revenues.

The company is not getting any city or county economic development incentives, Mebane Mayor Ed Hooks said.

What happens next?

Buc-ee’s will submit detailed construction plans to the city and to the N.C. Department of Transportation. Road improvements that have to be completed before the store opens include:

▪ A 10-foot bike and pedestrian pathway, with crosswalks and pedestrian signals, on Trollingwood-Hawfields Road, starting at Senator Ralph Scott Parkway and crossing the Interstates 40/85 bridge.

▪ Two driveways on Trollingwood-Hawfields Road and a third on Senator Ralph Scott Parkway, all of which need NCDOT permits.

▪ More travel and turn lanes on Trollingwood-Hawfields Road and the Interstate 85/40 on-and off-ramps, new stoplights and a wider bridge over the interstate.

NCDOT District Engineer Chuck Edwards said the state agency will review construction and traffic management plans, which typically takes a month. NCDOT officials have final approval and will closely oversee the work, he said. Buc-ee’s will do the work and pay for it.

Beard told the Mebane City Council that preliminary cost estimates for the road improvements are $6 million to $11 million. Construction can begin once Buc-ee’s has all the necessary building permits.