Wawa Wants to Make You Dinner

Look, nobody is stopping you from eating one of Wawa’s famous hoagies for dinner. Heck, nobody is stopping you from eating a sleeve of mini Tastykakes donuts for dinner. But if you happen to be heading to Wawa for your evening meal, the Pennsylvania-based convenience store chain has a few new and upgraded dinner items on the menu that might be a little more satisfying.

Announced this week, Wawa is in the process of testing a new range of dinner menu options at select stores, and expanding across Delaware, Florida, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington D.C. throughout 2020.

Here all the all items Wawa is currently testing, as described in the official announcement:

• The new and improved burger featuring all-natural angus, lighter bun, cheese and fries
• Penne or fettuccine pasta with alfredo, marinara or Bolognese available with roasted veggies, broccoli, roasted chicken, meatballs and Asiago cheese
• Entrée platters including braised chicken, pork roast or pot roast with two sides
• Rotisserie-style chicken and Mac and Cheese
• Six Heat and Eat meals, including penne chicken alfredo with broccoli, chicken and broccoli, chicken breast, spicy boneless wings, penne pasta with meatballs and Mac & Cheese with BBQ pulled pork

However, different stores are testing different individual items, so don’t expect to see the entire lineup. The dinner menu items will be available beginning at 4 p.m. daily (with the exception of the Heat and Eat meals which are available all day at all test locations) and can be ordered and customized via the in-store touch screen kiosks. The chain says the dinner menu will also be made available for curbside pickup and delivery. (I’m no cicerone, but it seems like this fancier dinner menu might be a great opportunity to explore some pairings with those official Wawa beers.)

“We’re grateful to our customers who frequent Wawa for breakfast, lunch and grocery items, and are proud to introduce this new platform as another solution for making dinner easily accessible and satisfying for everyone,” Mike Sherlock, Wawa’s Chief Product Marketing Officer, said. “We always strive to listen to our customers, so we’ve spent time testing menu items in select stores, gathering feedback and perfecting our recipes with the goal of providing a family, group of friends, etc. the ability to select their preferred dinner while still enjoying a meal together.”

And with the rollout of the upgraded menu comes upgraded kitchens, as the company states it’s investing in new equipment and infrastructure at the dinner service stores. But a new menu and kitchen appliances aren’t the only innovations Wawa has up its sleeve: the company also recently debuted a new drive-thru concept. Check it out here.