Joe Sheetz doesn’t know where it all came from, the convenience store turf war pitting Sheetz, the Western Pennsylvania supplier of hot dogs and coffee, against Wawa, the Eastern Pennsylvania supplier of hot dogs and coffee.
But he’s pretty sure this is a fight that both sides are winning.
“It’s really funny,” said Mr. Sheetz, chief executive officer of the Altoona-based chain, in a recent interview. “I think it’s, like, the best thing that’s ever happened to us. Because it’s free publicity.”
His reaction is one of the more pragmatic in the ferocious Sheetz vs. Wawa battle that has revealed surprisingly impassioned loyalists on both sides.
It has generated a torrent of arguments — mostly on social media — over which store has the upper hand in breakfast sandwiches, wait times for prepared food, menu variety and decor.
Even GasBuddy.com, a gasoline price-tracking website, weighed in — whether it meant to or not. According to a survey of customers who use the GasBuddy mobile app, Wawa has the superior gas station bathrooms in Pennsylvania.
The results are in! #SheetzVsWawa pic.twitter.com/t8w0YeH0UO
— Jadrian Wooten (@Wootenomics) September 28, 2017
Wtf is a sheetz card? I’m obviously and outsider if I don’t have one. Not feeling overly welcome. #sheetzVSwawa
— Will Vedder (@WillVedd) December 26, 2013
Not even up for discussion Sheetz just gets it. #sheetzvswawa pic.twitter.com/NMYgkJiu2A
— Brendan Hoolahan (@b_hooley17) March 7, 2017
I've been arguing #sheetzVSwawa for the last 2 hours #heateddebate
— Cait McGarry (@Cai_tuh_lin) November 10, 2012
Not the closest match up (a blowout every time really) but for sure the most intense rivalry @sheetz and @Wawa and we all know sheetz SHmashes the competition! #sheetzvswawa pic.twitter.com/EBxCW8ay6X
— CouchSwartz (@timthetollman12) April 16, 2018
Though I have strong feelings for WaWa, the Sheetz food rappers crack me up. #SheetzVsWaWa pic.twitter.com/uF10AqUVre
— sassypants69 (@sassypants6966) November 7, 2017
The bedlam has inspired a forthcoming documentary from a Pittsburgh-area filmmaker to wade into the treacherous question: Which is better?
Matthew Fridg — whose past documentaries include serious titles such as “Can an Algorithm Catch a Serial Killer,” “Brain Surgery With Sound” and “Can Coding Prevent Overdoses” — started on “Sheetz Vs. Wawa: The Movie” while trying to come up with an idea that would connect people in a fun way.
Last November, he drove past a Sheetz, and it clicked.
Mr. Fridg, who lives in Latrobe and first encountered Wawa disciples while he was attending Indiana University of Pennsylvania, said he is surprised no one had yet attempted a comprehensive comparison of the two companies. It’s “the scientific method, if you will, of how are we going to — in an unbiased manner — how are we are going to settle this.”
He expects to be up to the task.
“The development of rubric will be part of the documentary,” he said. “There will be a definitive answer at the end — whether it’s a serious, scientific answer, or a fun challenge, or a stalemate of sorts.”
Although he hails from Western Pennsylvania, he promised to be fair.
As part of that, he said, the film will delve into the history of both organizations to better understand “why do people love these stores so much.” That will include stories submitted by fans, placing an emphasis on the weird and funny — “maybe you’ve gotten married and had the reception in a Wawa?”
Mr. Fridg plans to film over this summer and fall and edit during the winter. He’s targeting a release date of next spring or summer.
Mr. Sheetz, who said he had heard of Mr. Fridg’s documentary, speculates the rivalry has its origins at Penn State University, where college students from both sides of the state collide. It’s not hard to imagine a social media battle escalated by Philly-area undergrads thrown into Sheetz country, he posited.
As for the question of which is better, Mr. Sheetz was diplomatic.
The underlying irony of the rivalry, he said, is that customers rarely have to choose one over the other. Sheetz and Wawa are, on the whole, incredibly similar and rarely directly compete.
There’s little geographical overlap between the two brands. Of roughly 600 Sheetz and about 800 Wawa locations spread across the Mid-Atlantic states, Mr. Sheetz guessed no more than 30 Sheetz stores are in places with a Wawa nearby.
“In a way, what people are saying — even the fact they get into those arguments and have a back and forth — is that they like what we do,” Mr. Sheetz said. “Maybe our stores are a little louder and brighter, and theirs are a little more subdued and they use a little more earth tones. But at the end of the day, 90 percent of the products overlap.”
“We’re not the same,” he added, “but we’re as similar as you can get.”
Both sides, from what he can tell, appreciate the “rivalry.”
“It’s much more entertaining for us,” said Mr. Sheetz, referring to the executives of the two companies. “And for customers, it’s a passion thing.”
Daniel Moore: dmoore@post-gazette.com, 412-263-2743 and Twitter @PGdanielmoore.
First Published: May 17, 2018, 12:00 p.m.
