Several states already seemed unlikely to ever get a Buc-ee’s. Recent comments from the company’s founder suggest that list may be getting longer.
About a year and change ago, we wrote a piece about the states that will probably never get a Buc-ee’s. Most of the states we mentioned had either low population, logistical or environmental concerns (or sometimes more than one of those) that would most likely prevent a Buc-ee’s from ever opening in each state.
However, although Buc-ee’s continues to expand (these are the places most recently announced to get a store in the not-too-distant future), it now appears that several other states may have just landed on the “probably never getting a Buc-ee’s” list.
And this time, it has nothing to do with population, logistics or the environment.
Just politics.
During a recent speech, Buc-ee’s founder and CEO Arch “Beaver” Aplin III made it pretty clear that as the massive travel center expands, it will prioritize “conservative, business-friendly” states.
A new Buc-ee’s was opening in Benton, Arkansas and Alpin gave a speech that included a part of the “secret sauce” of where they open new stores.
“We’re growing. We’re building in a lot of places. But when you find a conservative, business-friendly state with a phenomenal workforce, it makes a difference. And I’m starting to realize life’s too short to try to build in places that people don’t appreciate what you’re bringing, versus a place like this where people do appreciate what you’re building,” Aplin said in a video that was shared by Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
And if you research a little, you’ll see that of the 13 states where Buc-ee’s currently has at least one location, only one – Colorado – is a solidly blue state.
And Aplin certainly didn’t hide his preference for the alternative.
“That leadership, that concept, that idea of conservative, business-friendly, family-oriented concept, works so much better if it trickles down from the leadership, from the very top of the governor’s office, at the congressmen, at the senators, at the mayors, the representatives. And so, what we found when we got here in Benton (Arkansas) was a business-friendly town,” he added. “They said ‘Let’s roll up our sleeves and let’s go get a Buc-ee’s built.’”
Of course, since Buc-ee’s is a privately owned company, Aplin can do as he pleases with his company. But intentionally avoiding “blue” states would certainly seem shortsighted from a business perspective.
I mean, Democrats have just as much need for clean bathrooms and presumably would want to buy drinks, snacks, beaver merchandise and cheap gasoline after they pee, just as much as Republicans do.
But I wonder if some of what he’s saying is just sour grapes.
I mean, as we said in an earlier post, California has strict environmental standards and the rules Buc-ee’s would need to follow in the name of sustainability alone, might be more than they’d be willing to invest. Massachusetts has zoning laws the company would have to follow. In New Jersey, the law is that someone has to pump your gas for you.
So it’s possible that when Alpin says he wants to focus on “conservative, business-friendly” states, that’s his secret code for “liberal states have laws that won’t let me do things the way I want to do them.”
Aplin’s speech also doesn’t explain Colorado, where Buc-ee’s opened its first location in 2024 despite the state hardly fitting the political description he just praised.
So does Aplin really not want to open Buc-ee’s travel centers in liberal states?
Or is “conservative, business-friendly” actually shorthand for places where Buc-ee’s can build and operate the way Buc-ee’s wants to?
What this means for travelers
Whatever the answer, Aplin’s comments certainly make it sound as if Buc-ee’s expansion map isn’t based solely on population, highway traffic and finding a big enough piece of land anymore. Politics (or at least what Buc-ee’s considers a favorable political and business environment) is apparently part of the equation, too.
Which means that if you live in a solidly blue state (not including Colorado) and have been patiently waiting for Buc-ee’s to eventually make its way to you, well…you may be waiting a very, very long time.
And that’s a shame.
Not because of the brisket. Or the Beaver Nuggets. Or the jerky. Or even the ridiculously large selection of Buc-ee the Beaver merchandise.
It’s the bathrooms.
Because political affiliation aside, there are certain things Americans should be able to come together on. And surely a gigantic, ridiculously clean highway bathroom with enough stalls that you never have to wait in line can be one of them.
Republican, Democrat, independent…when you’ve been on the interstate for three hours and really have to pee, we are all the same.
And perhaps that should be Buc-ee’s real expansion policy. 😉
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