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LIBERTY TOWNSHIP, Ohio ‒ Dozens of people lined up early Wednesday morning in suburban Cincinnati to try the state's first Wawa.

The Pennsylvania-based gas and convenience store chain opened its first Ohio location with fanfare Wednesday, which also marks the 61st anniversary of the company's first convenience store. State lawmakers celebrated the chain's arrival, the Lakota East High School Marching performed and Wawa customers got free coffee at the new store in Butler County.

Wawa has a devoted fanbase, especially on the East Coast, where stores are widespread. Some of those fans who showed up before the store opened at 8 a.m. are members of the Midwest Eagles Nest, a local group of Philadelphia Eagles fans.

"It's the taste of home," said Adam Gilmore, the group's founder. "The coffee is always good. Hoagies are fantastic."

High schoolers arrived at 3:30 a.m.

Gilmore is originally from the Northeast and moved to Ohio in 2006. At Wawa's preview event Tuesday, a group of Midwest Eagles Nest members led customers in an Eagles chant. But Gilmore said there's room for both Eagles and Cincinnati Bengals fans at the chain.

Other customers were trying Wawa for the first time. Shannon Rollins, a native Ohioan who lives in the Butler County village of Seven Mile, had never been to a Wawa.

"I just kind of wanted to see what the deal was with it," she said in line, where she had been standing since just before 8 a.m. when the store opened.

Edgewood High School seniors LuAnne West and Megan Brown also had never been to a Wawa. They watched the store being built and decided to try it on opening day. They got in line at 3:30 a.m. on Wednesday and were the first customers in the store.

"Whenever we do something we just go all out," said West, who lives in Butler County. "We love it. This is probably the coolest gas station we've ever been to."

What's next for Wawa

Wawa plans to open eight more Ohio stores this year in Colerain Township, Deerfield Township, Fairfield, Huber Heights, Lebanon, Mason, Springdale and Union Township. Kentucky's first store will open this summer.

The Liberty Township store is located at 7198 Cincinnati Dayton Road and is open 24 hours per day.

LIBERTY TOWNSHIP, Ohio (WXIX) - The first Wawa in Ohio officially opened in Butler County at 8 a.m. Wednesday.

A long line of customers camped out overnight, excited to be the first to shop inside the store in Liberty Township on the northeast corner of Cincinnati-Dayton Road and Liberty Way, just south of Ohio 129.

The opening date coincides with the chain’s founding in 1964, known by the company as “Wawa Day.”

Wawa is a convenience store and gas station chain making its way into the Midwest from the East Coast.

This is the first of eight to 10 Wawa stores expected to open in Ohio this year and one of five in Butler County.

Other stores are planned for Fairfield and Hamilton.

A store also is planned to open in Colerain Township.

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Wawa plans to open stores in 5 counties in Tri-State

Over the next five to eight years, Wawa said in a news release Wednesday it plans to build and open 6-10 stores annually in Ohio, with expectations to open up to 60 stores in the state.

To build each store, Wawa said it will invest more than $7.5 million and employ, on average, 140 contractors and local partners.

Once open, each store will employ an average of 35 associates, with Wawa expecting to create 2,100 new, long-term new jobs as a result of expansion in Ohio, according to the news release.

Other Wawa stores are located in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Florida, North Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, and Washington, D.C. with over 1,100 locations to date.

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LIBERTY TOWNSHIP, Ohio ‒ The day before Ohio's first Wawa opened, Tom Farrell, president of Liberty Township's board of trustees, said he finally understood the "hoopla" surrounding the Pennsylvania chain.

So did I.

Local reporters and government officials, Wawa executives and dozens of "VIP customers" were invited on Tuesday to tour the Liberty Township store on Cincinnati Dayton Road and try free food and drink samples. This store, and bringing the chain to the Midwest, has been in the works for years.

When Farrell learned Wawa was planning to open a store in Liberty Township, he told his college-aged son.

"Within minutes, he was contacting all of his college friends and planning trips, (with friends) from as far away as New Jersey to come to Liberty Township for Wawa," he told the crowd at Wawa's preview event Tuesday. "That's when I realized Wawa was not a normal business."

Farrell then got behind the counter and made Liberty Township's first official hoagie: an Italian sub.

Being from California and moving to Cincinnati in 2018, I also didn't understand the Wawa hype. Tuesday was the first time I stepped foot into the store, known for its hoagies and goose mascot.

I quickly learned what makes Wawa different from other gas stations and convenience stores. If you're thinking of venturing to the state's first Wawa, here's what to expect.

Tons of food options, but hoagies live up to the hype

The first thing that stood out was the multitude of food and drink options. Sure, you can head to the self-serve coffee bar and pick from a variety of coffees, including a limited-time flavor (I found the current flavor, Blueberry Cobbler Coffee, surprisingly tasty). Or, you can order an iced matcha tea, cold brew with foam or an oat milk latte from a touchscreen tablet.

The food menu is equally large and customizable. You'll find hoagies, chicken sandwiches, wraps, salads and breakfast bowls.

"Yes, we're a convenience store, but what's going on behind the counter ‒ we'll make what people want and we'll make it right in front of you," Wawa President Brian Schaller said.

We didn't try any breakfast menu items, but Enquirer reporter Grace Tucker and I loved Wawa's Italian hoagie. It tasted as good as any Italian sub you'd find at a local deli, but the roll was exceptional ‒ soft and fresh. Wawa sources its bread from select bakeries. Bakery Express Midwest opened in Boone County, Kentucky, this week and will supply Wawas in the region.

With bread from supportive bakeries, Wawa sells 180 million made-to-order hoagies per year, said Wawa spokesperson Lori Bruce.

The chain is known for its hoagies, but I also enjoyed the chicken sandwich. The fried chicken was perfectly crispy, and I loved that I could customize it, which, for me, meant nixing the pickle and adding barbeque sauce.

Fans are drawn by nostalgia and good food

Each die-hard Wawa fan I spoke to had a different favorite item. They said dishes like the mac and cheese, chicken salad or just the regular coffee kept them coming back.

The company invited dozens of these "VIP customers" and Greater Cincinnati residents to the store Tuesday. Many had roots in the East Coast, where Wawas are plentiful.

"Wawa is ‒ when we're home, back East, that's the first stop," said Stephanie Hurd, who's from Delaware but lives in Morrow. "Everyone's friendly. It's the quality, and there's nothing like it."

Hurd was among the crowd of "VIP customers" sampling free Wawa food on Tuesday. Her husband (who swears by the mac and cheese) took the day off of work to attend the event. His uncle works at a Wawa.

"It's a convenience store, but it's not. It's a gas station, but it's not," she said, trying to explain the fandom. "You can't even put it on that same playing field because the quality's there."

Wawa didn't offer gas until 1996. Before that, it was a food market, and before that, it was a dairy. Today, it offers gas, food and ice cream 24 hours a day.

"They don't skimp," Hurd continued. "They've taken things away and brought things back, so they also listen to the consumer, which you can't say that about everybody."

More Ohio stores to come, most in Greater Cincinnati

Wawa plans to open 60 stores in Ohio over the next five to eight years. Each store will employ around 35 associates, creating 2,100 jobs in the state.

Not all of the company's proposals here have been successful. Wawa withdrew plans for a fourth store in Fairfield last year due to a lack of resident support.

But Wawa will open eight more stores this year, many in Greater Cincinnati. Stores are going up in Colerain Township, Deerfield Township, Fairfield, Huber Heights, Lebanon, Mason, Springdale and Union Township. Kentucky's first store opens this summer, too.

"The biggest differentiator is our associates and the connection they have with the customers," Schaller said. "When we looked at Ohio, we saw an opportunity. We think we can compete. We don't assume anything, but we think that there's a place here for us, and we're excited about it."

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LIBERTY TOWNSHIP, Ohio —

The doors to the first Wawa in Ohio are set to open, marking the chain's expansion into the Midwest.

The popular convenience store chain officially opens on Wednesday in Liberty Township.

Ahead of the big day, the store hosted a "Taste of Wawa," where VIP customers, local officials and community partners got a taste of what to expect.

The location was packed with enthusiastic customers counting down to this moment.

Michele Venturi and her grandson Henry were the first two inside the store.

"I love it. I'm so excited," Venturi said. "I'm from the East Coast and I go back every year to visit my family. My first stop is always Wawa."

Liberty Township is the first of nine locations set to open in Ohio this year. The other stores are opening in Colerain, Deerfield Township, Fairfield, Huber Heights, Lebanon, Mason, Springdale, and Union Township.

According to Joseph Collins, the Wawa Midwest Director of Store Operations, the chain also has plans to expand into Indiana and Kentucky.

"What we're excited about tomorrow is the opportunity to serve the community," Collins said. "What it translates to, though, is that we have been asked so many times over the last several years, 'When am I going to get a Wawa?' what's fulfilling for us is that we finally get to deliver on that request."

Wawa is bringing a slice of home to many Philadelphia transplants living in Ohio, such as David Thompson.

"Everybody in Philadelphia is attracted to this place," Thompson said. "It's always clean. The coffee's good. They have the best hoagies."

On Tuesday, the beloved East Coast chain unveiled its breakfast sandwiches, coffee, and hoagie hype.

People of all ages sampled some food and beverages on the menu.

"We're always humbled by the amount of passion that our customers feel for the brand," "We have people who get married in their local stores and customers who get tattoos. On the other hand, the connections for military service members who get deployed overseas miss Wawa, and we send coffee and snacks to them."

Come this fall, Wawa will add a seasonal fan favorite to the menu.

"The gobbler! Every November, it comes out, and it's Thanksgiving dinner and a hoagie. It's fantastic," Mike Solon said.

Wawa in Liberty Township will open its doors at 8 a.m. on Wednesday.