A party-like atmosphere that few ribbon cuttings in Wayne County have witnessed set the scene for a momentous occasion on Thursday morning as Wawa cut the ribbon on the first of its two Goldsboro stores. 

The store, located at 2606 Medical Office Place, kicked off its first official day with energetic music, cheering employees greeting customers at the door, 100 free shirts, and Wally Goose, Wawa’s mascot. 

Customers can receive a free any-size hot coffee through Dec. 22. 

Goldsboro Mayor Charles Gaylor, members of the Goldsboro City Council, Wayne Community College president Dr. Patty Pfeiffer, and representatives from the Goldsboro Police Department and the Goldsboro Fire Department were all in attendance. 

Funk Nation Drumline performed and the Goldsboro High School ROTC presented the colors prior to the playing of the National Anthem. 

“This is how you do a ribbon cutting,” Gaylor said. “Forty percent of Wawa is owned by its associates. That says a lot about who they are as a company and what they stand for. We’re so excited to have Wawa here in our community. This is a great day for Goldsboro and for Wayne County.”

Thursday’s grand opening also included check presentations made by the Wawa Foundation to the Special Olympics of Wayne County, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Wayne County, Kriquette’s Kidz, and the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina. 

“We’ll continue to make those connections in the community,” said Kim Dowgielewicz, Wawa Director of Store Operations. “Whether that’s an event we can show up to, support, or be a part of, we are just looking for those opportunities where Wawa can continue to give back.”

Members of the Goldsboro Police Department competed against members of the Goldsboro Fire Department in a “Hoagies for Heroes,” contest to see which team could build the most hoagies in three minutes. 

The Goldsboro Police Department prevailed in the highly competitive contest. 

A second Goldsboro store, located at 2583 NC-70 in Rosewood, is scheduled to open in early 2025. 

A Wawa in Greenville also held its grand opening on Thursday, bringing the total number of Wawa stores in North Carolina to seven. 

By the end of 2024, Wawa will have stores in Kill Devil Hills, Wilson, Rocky Mount, Elizabeth City, Greenville, and Goldsboro.

Over the next eight to ten years, Wawa plans to build and open six to eight stores per year, reaching a total of 90 stores in North Carolina.

Wawa serves more than one billion customers annually and brews over 182 million cups of its award-winning coffee each year. 

WaWa was founded in 1803 in New Jersey, and incorporated in 1865 as the Millville Manufacturing Company, a textile company with mills in several states and sales offices across the country.

In 1892, George Wood, founder of Wawa Dairy Farms, bought a house in Delaware County, PA near a train station named Wawa.

A large mill pond on the Chester Creek below the station was a favorite gathering place for Canada Geese and the surrounding area took its name from a Native American word meaning “wild goose.”

When Wood began the dairy business in 1902, he named it after the local region.

On Apr. 16, 1964, the first Wawa Food Market opened in Folsom, PA.

Wawa, Inc is headquartered in Wawa, PA, and currently operates a chain of over 1,050 convenience stores in an eight-state area, including New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Florida, Alabama, North Carolina, and Washington DC.

Wawa stores offer coffee, beverages, sandwiches, burritos, pizza, burgers, wraps, soups, bowls, and catering options.

The company also offers various fuel options and EV charging stations.