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Wawa is a chain of Convenience Store / Fast Food Restaurant / Gas Station s, mostly in the Delaware Valley region of the Northeast United States, although the chain has now expanded into Virginia as far as the Hampton Roads region, and can be found throughout Eastern Pennsylvania , New Jersey , Maryland , and Delaware . Most are open 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. The chain's name comes from the site of the company's first milk plant in Wawa, Pennsylvania . The name of the town is in turn derived from the Lenape word for the Canada Goose in flight, an image of which serves as the Wawa Corporate Logo . On April 16 , 1964 , Wawa Food Markets opened their first store in Folsom, Pennsylvania under the guidance of Grahame Wood (to this day many Wood family members are active within the company). The current CEO is Howard Stoeckel. In 2004, Wawa ranked 72nd on the Forbes 500 list of the largest private companies. Wawa is a Family-run Business ; however, the employees of Wawa hold a relatively large percentage of stock. Wawa sells millions of cups of Coffee a year. It is known for its competetive Cigarette prices, $0 service charge MAC Machines , and unique, always-growing menu of hot and cold Deli choices. The Wawa deli counter is notable as it was among the first convenience food-marts to implement Self-serve Computer Touch-screen menus for food orders, which improve accuracy and can be used as gateways to Up-selling . Wawa currently has 13,000 employees, 550+ stores (142 with gasoline) and had gross revenues of $3.08 billion dollars in 2004. In recent years, many Wawa Markets have been expanded to "Super Wawas", with 12-20 Gas pumps. All new Wawas constructed are of the "Super Wawa" variety. Trips through many suburban Philadelphia areas will have people noticing that there are significantly more Wawa convenience stores than the nationally-recognized brand 7-11 . Wawa, for the most part, covers the parts of the Keystone State not already covered by fast-growing in-state rival Sheetz . Wawa is headquartered in Wawa, Pennsylvania a neighborhood that includes parts of Middletown Township and Chester Heights Borough in Delaware County . The corporate headquarters, known as Red Roof, is on Baltimore Pike in Chester Heights. The nearby dairy farm across from the former Franklin Mint is in Middletown. The post office does not recognize Wawa, PA as an acceptable city; Media, PA 19063 is the delivery point for the home office. WAWA DAIRY FARMS Wawa Dairy is a dairy processor which produces its own line of milk, ice cream, iced teas, juices, and fruit drinks sold in Wawa stores. George Wood started Wawa Dairy Farms in 1902 with a small herd of cows and a processing and bottling plant in Wawa, Pennsylvania. This early dairy operation was famous for its "Doctor Approved" pasteurized milk. In the early 20th Century Wawa's Milk Men were so well trusted by their clients that many of them were given the keys to the households which they delivered to, so that they could simply help themselves in and place the milk in the ice box. WAWA CULTURE Wawas, although widespread now, are still a local phenomenon. Wawas are often neighborhood gathering places. Because many are open all night, in the late night and early morning there are always teenagers and college students stumbling in for a late night snack (on many local college campuses, such trips are dubbed "Wawa runs"). At The College Of William And Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia , Wawa is nearly the only 24-hour food option in town, rendering the convenience store the status of the College's most popular late-night spot to meet up with friends and grab a delicious, freshly made hoagie. Many in Vineland, New Jersey refer to the Wawa nearest to the High School as "Club Wawa" because of the cult-like fashion in which people go there. Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey has a Wawa on its campus, while the University Of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia has two. Both are frequented by students and residents of the neighborhood alike at all hours of the day. Rowan University was once bookended by Wawa markets, one on other either border of the campus. Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania, also has a popular Wawa on College Hill. Popularity among college students is attributed, in part, to the freshly prepared deli sandwiches which render Wawa more than just a convenience store. It is not uncommon to see a packed parking lot even in the oddest hours of the day. The Wawa parking lot in Tinicum Township, Pennsylvania is often filled with limousines, whose drivers await their next call to ferry passengers to and from the nearby Philadelphia International Airport and its suburban Hotel s. Pennsylvania-based music group The Bloodhound Gang refer to the Wawa chain in their tracks "Pennsylvania" and "Overheard in a Wawa Parking Lot" off of their 2005 album '' Hefty Fine ''. They specifically address the lack of name recognition out of the Delaware River Region, with the line "Do you even know what a Wawa is?" Anticon rapper Why? refered to the Ardmore, PA Wawa in his song "Six". Humorist Dave Barry also mentions the chain in his book Dave Barry's Complete Guide To Guys , claiming that, during his days as a Haverford College student and subsequent West Chester, Pennsylvania resident, his bachelor pad would often be filled with "cartons of Wawa brand iced tea". In the "scavenger hunt" episode of . The term "Burgerland" is slang used by a growing number of Wawa employees, especially those who make Sizzli breakfast sandwiches. These sandwiches resemble a Burger in close comparison. ADVERTISING SLOGANS
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