Tiny Wawa opens Friday morning in Center City with pick-up window

Wawa's new 3,000-square-foot location at 33 S. 16th Street is its smallest yet. The format is focused on express items and encourages customers to use mobile ordering to pick up their meals at a to-go window.
Source/Wawa

Wawa's tiniest store concept yet opens Friday morning in Center City, introducing the company's first-ever PickUp Window and a new format intended to take convenience to another level.

The one-of-a-kind design opens its doors to the public at 8 a.m., with a ribbon cutting attended by Phladelphia Mayor Jim Kenney at 10 a.m. The first 100 customers to arrive at the store will receive a free Wawa t-shirt and free coffee.

The 3,000-square-foot store, located at 33 S. 16th Street, stands in stark contrast to the 11,000-square-foot location that opened at Independence Mall in December 2018, Wawa's largest.

The PickUp window is an extension of Wawa's mobile ordering app, which debuted two years ago to expedite service. A "Good To Go" section will include a variety of hot and cold express items for customers to grab, pay and get on their way. Also new is a self-serve hot tea bar feature Revolution Tea.

“At Wawa, we strive to accommodate our customers in multiple ways and this new store design is geared towards meeting the needs of our local community members who require quick food options without sacrificing fresh and quality ingredients to fuel their daily routine,” said David Simonetti, senior director of store operations for Wawa.

Source/WawaInterior of Wawa planned at 16th and Chestnut Streets.
The grand opening event will wrap up with a hoagie building competition between members of the Philadelphia Police Department and Philadelphia Fire Department. The winning and runner-up teams will receive $1,000 checks to donate to charities of their choice.

Wawa's latest location brings its total in Center City up to nine, continuing an aggressive downtown expansion over the last five years.