Is a Buc-ee’s stop worth it?
Buc-ees is touted as the essential stop for travelers, and of course you see all of the statue pics, stops, Facebook and Insta posts and LOVE from all of your friends and fam.
They are serious marketing geniuses too! Using billboard signage, and capturing the love and marketing goodness of online social. Everyone has heard of them, and if you haven’t gone, you probably want to.
Let me give you the good, the bad and the ugly from our Tipsy perspective.
Just fyi, this was Tom’s first visit, and he would 100% avoid it in the future. LOL. I will explain why.
What we liked:
- Pet areas
If you are traveling with pets, there are great, clean, expansive places (with provided doggy, clean up bags) to let your pooches have a bathroom break and get some exercise. After stopping and multiple other spots, and fighting with Rizly to stay away from rando garbage, this place was a doggy-stop HEAVEN! Very worth the stop in my opinion.
- Bathrooms
Another great attribute! Bathrooms are clean, with very private, closed-door, stalls, and plentiful. If you need a few private moments alone for ermmmm…you know, this is your place, man! They even have a bathroom attendant, constantly checking and cleaning. I LOVE the bathrooms here.
- Beaver nuggets
These crunchy, salty-sweet, puffs of delish are the perfect road snack. For whatever reason, they get better with age. I loved them even more, enjoying on the couch, at home watching a movie. Add these to your must do at Buc-ees list for sure. They have cinnamon and caramel as well, I like the old-school originals the best.
What we did not like:
- Crowds – This is clearly where they lost Tom. They are soooo packed ya’ll! It’s like Disneyworld-and-Walmart-had-a-baby crowded. Difficult to navigate through, which – if you have to pee, could be super stressful as you try to navigate your way through a sea of slow bodies.
- Food – The hot food (advertised heavily on all the billboards leading up to your location) is so meh. It is equivalent to typical gas station food, and sooooo not worth $7 for a sandwich. Yes, we have tried the famous brisket, bbq, club sandwiches, etc. The meat and eggs have super weird textures (similar to those horrid McDonalds McRibs), the buns seem stale, and the sauce is weird. And with all of my visits (because I keep trying) I have never even halfway finished a gross sandwich. The bagged snacks, jerkies and ICEE wall are great, although with some of my visits the ICEE wall is closed down.
- Disorganized – Signage is confusing,if you see brisket sandwich and club sandwich signs behind someone at a cash register – do not stand in line assuming that you can get those items there! I know from experience Yes, yes….it said “Bakery” on a big sign, HOWEVER, there were numerous, hot-sammy signs behind the cash register. I was following the signs, and stood in two (TWO!!) unnecessary lines.
What we recommend if you go:
- Grab the famous Beaver Nuggets
- Eat some jerky. The jerky is bomb
- Grab a gift if you need it! Funeral, baby shower….whatever you need a gift for…for just about any event, you will find it!
- Take a bathroom break for you and your pooches
- Avoid the hot food. Blek. I cannot stress this enough.
- You can buy wine and beer here too! Hoorah! So grab yours and save yourself a stop later
Would we go again?
Tom hated it so much, so, together, probably not.
So are you a Buc-ees fan? Are we doing it wrong?
