Despite below-freezing temps, Buc-ee's fans gather at travel center for grand opening

A rice crispy marshmallow treat may have been the first item purchased at the grand opening of the Springfield Buc-ee's Monday morning.

One of the first customers through the front doors at 5:47 a.m., Missouri State student Tanner Lumley darted right to the check-out counter where he purchased the treat. He wasn't even sure what he purchased; he was just hoping to be the very first customer.

Lumley was one of many lined up outside Buc-ee's sliding doors for the travel center's grand opening at 6 a.m. (doors opened early) on Monday. Lumley told the News-Leader that he and a few friends arrived to the store around 11:30 p.m. on Sunday in anticipation.

"Me and my buddies, we all go to MSU, and we decided we wanted to do something like this; we didn't have anything better to do," Lumley said with a grin on his face.

Despite the below-freezing temperatures, the crowd was hyped up as Buc-ee's Director of Barbeque Randy Pauly opened the sliding doors to hand out free Buc-ee's merchandise to those eagerly waiting in line.

"You're making dreams come true!" Lumley yelled as Pauly tossed him a Christmas-themed Buc-ee's blanket.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held at the travel center at 3284 N. Beaver Road at 11 a.m. on Monday.

"Fresh brisket on the board!"

Also known as the Buc-ee's "Pitmaster," Pauly is a world barbeque champion and has been with the Texas-based company for eight years. He lives and breathes barbeque, even sporting a leather belt with the engraving: "Brisket on the Board," what Buc-ee's employees call out when fresh brisket is brought out to be sliced.

Pauly, who lives in Houston, Texas, said he arrived in Springfield about 30 days ago to begin training the staff of Texas Round Up, a station situated in the middle of the travel center that serves freshly-chopped brisket, sausage, turkey and pulled pork.

Pauly said he starts with "Brisket 101," educating new employees about the importance of understanding where the meat they cook and sell comes from. Then, they learn about proper techniques. Pauly told the News-Leader that the secret to Buc-ee's barbeque is "low and slow." Each brisket is hickory-smoked for at least 14 hours.

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While he didn't give an exact number, Pauly said he likely helped prepare more briskets for Monday's grand opening than all the local barbecue restaurants in the area, "plus, plus, plus." Nonetheless, Pauly said he doesn't want to steal the show from local businesses.

"I'm going to tell you to go to the local guys first," Pauly said. "But when it's late night or early, early morning and you need some good brisket, you need some good pulled pork, we got your back."

"You can't be in a bad mood"

In addition to the 120 fuel pumps and "world's cleanest restrooms," Buc-ee's is popularly known for its branded merchandise, from plush toys to wrapping paper.

A handful of customers arrived to the store already decked out in Buc-ee's merchandise, like Christina Berge of Branson. Berge, who arrived at the travel center soon after the doors opened, was wearing a Buc-ee's onesie, which proved to be a popular item. For the holidays, the travel center also offers seasonal onesies.

"You can't be in a bad mood at Buc-ee's because it's just so much fun," said Berge, who planned on purchasing a destination t-shirt before leaving.

Each Buc-ee's location features "destination" merchandise, branded Buc-ee's merchandise with the name of the city and state of where the travel center is located. Springfield's destination merchandise includes bumper stickers, magnets, enamel pins, dish towels, mugs and of course, t-shirts.

Walking through the aisles of Buc-ee's merchandise, Gavin Blain exclaimed, "I'm so happy right now."

Twenty-year-old Blain of Springfield arrived at the travel center at around 3 a.m. Monday for the grand opening. Blain said he often travels with his church and any time they are out of state, they stop at a Buc-ee's. When he first heard about a location opening in Springfield, he knew he wanted to be there for the grand opening.

Many of the customers who were at the grand opening are long-time fans of the travel center, which was first established in Clute, Texas in 1982.

Rebekah Francisco of Highlandville and Jo Higgins of Nixa pulled up to the travel center around 6:45 a.m. Both women have visited Buc-ee's in other states, like Alabama and Texas, and were excited to have a location nearby.

"Fire in the soul"

"Smile. Relax. Enjoy the day," were the words of advice from Southeast Director of Operations Josh Smith to more than 100 fresh employees before the sliding doors were opened. In total, Smith said about 230 employees were hired for the new store, with training starting 27 days before the grand opening. Buc-ee's began the hiring process for the new store in early October.

When it comes to what Pauly thinks sets Buc-ee's apart from other travel centers, it is the "fire in the soul" of the employees.

"The day we lose that, is the day we're just another barbecue house or more importantly, we're just another gas station," he said.

Construction on the travel center began in August 2022. Following the center's grand opening, Springfield will begin the process of two rounds of reimbursement to the Texas-based company. Over a 20-year period Springfield will reimburse Buc-ee's $9.2 million for public infrastructure improvements that will result from the project.

Greta Cross is the trending topics reporter for the Springfield News-Leader. Follow her on X and Instagram @gretacrossphoto. Story idea? Email her at gcross@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Missouri's first Buc-ee's welcomes excited fans for grand opening