Wawa: Philadelphia's Unofficial Church

Wawa traces its roots to an iron foundry in New Jersey in 1803; the family behind it later started a dairy farm in Wawa, Pennsylvania, in 1890, which eventually grew into a convenience store empire. Philadelphians have an almost religious devotion to Wawa — there are over 1,000 stores across the East Coast. The touchscreen hoagie ordering system is a rite of passage for newcomers. In 2018, Wawa opened a flagship store on 6th and Chestnut, and the grand opening drew hundreds of people. The name comes from an Ojibwe word for a goose, hence the Canada goose on the logo.