Wawa Announces Grand Opening Of 'New' Brick Store

BRICK, NJ — It's been nearly four years since the Brick Township Board of Adjustment approved plans to replace the Wawa right off Garden State Parkway exit 91 in Brick.

On Thursday, the new Wawa, complete with fuel pumps, will be serving customers at last, as the store holds its grand opening.

The new store replaces a "legacy" Wawa that had sat at the corner of Burnt Tavern Road for years with an expanded store that takes over property next door to the original store that had been home to a Chinese restaurant and a pizzeria. The new store was approved by the Brick Township Board of Adjustment in May 2019.

The grand opening celebration begins at 7:45 a.m. with the doors opening at 8 a.m. Customers will be invited to get a free cup of coffee, any size, and Brick Township Mayor Lisa Crate is scheduled to join general manager Anthony Rao for a community toast and ribbon-cutting ceremony at 8:30 a.m. with Wawa’s mascot Wally Goose.

The first 100 customers through the door on Thursday will receive a limited-edition “Wawa Coffee, Hoagies & Kindness” T-shirts, while supplies last.

There will be free coffee all day on Thursday. There will be other discounts through April 9, the company said.

Wawa also will recognize local first responders with its Hoagies for Heroes hoagie-building competition. First responders from Brick Township Police Department and Herbertsville will compete to see who can build the most hoagies in 3 minutes, and Wawa will donate $1,000 to each department’s charity of choice.

The Lanes Mill store has about 60 associates, the company said, and is one of up to 76 new stores Wawa plans to open in the Mid-Atlantic region and Florida in this year. It is the sixth location in Brick.

"At Wawa, our core purpose is fulfilling lives every day, and since our first store opened, we’ve believed that we all have a role in making this world a better place," said Chris Gheysens, Wawa’s CEO. "Our associates deliver experiences and often create emotional connections with customers that go beyond what traditionally happens in a retail environment, and we look forward to welcoming old friends and making new ones in this wonderful community!"