INDIANA, Pa. — Sheetz, the Altoona-based 24-hour convenience store and gas station chain that in some circles draws almost a cult following from fans stretching from North Carolina and Maryland to the Tri-State region, is expanding a new concept of “college town casual dining experiences.”
In March 2015, Sheetz decided to capitalize on millennials — now the nation’s largest population group — by opening its first Sheetz Cafe in Morgantown, W.Va., just blocks from the West Virginia University campus. This was the first fuel-free Sheetz convenience store with a focus on food and beverage offerings — as well as selling beer. A location in downtown State College near the Penn State campus also is a student hot spot.
Now a third location has opened here near Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and there are plans to open one in Oakland near Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh. No timeline or location has been announced.
“It’s a really new concept with us, and we are playing in the sandbox, so to speak, and trying to figure it out,” said Steve Augustine, assistant vice president of real estate for Sheetz.
“The cafe concept is really influenced by a fairly large college or university. We are really counting on a high amount of foot traffic,” he said. “Think of Times Square in New York City. That’s the ultimate goal on a smaller scale.”
While having the smallest enrollment of all three campuses near Sheetz Cafes, the IUP location hopes to appeal to students and slightly older customers. “We are trying to cater to ages 18 to 30-somethings” and to keep them coming, Mr. Augustine said.
With offerings such as the Made-To-Order food system, a plethora of snack foods and drink options along with a creamery featuring frozen yogurt and ice cream and not to mention a very welcoming beer cave, the cafe offers college students endless choices.
The Sheetz Cafes also have indoor and outdoor seating; the one in Indiana seats 36 people both inside and outside.
Although Sheetz is open 24 hours, beer is sold only until 2 a.m., and all alcohol must be off the premises by 2:25 a.m. The Sheetz Cafes in Pennsylvania do not sell gasoline. Until recently, Pennsylvania state liquor laws prohibited establishments that sell fuel from selling alcohol. However, new legislation signed into law this past spring by Gov. Wolf allows convenience stores that sell gas to sell beer if they get the proper permits.
“I think they’re going to get a lot of business, especially with students coming in late at night for food and the fact that they are selling beer,” said an IUP alumna who declined to give her name. “Beer distributors aren’t open 24/7, and this has always been a party school. Always will be.”
Although this location lacks grocery staples such as milk, bread, eggs and butter, it does offer fresh produce such as apples, oranges and bananas.
At just about 5,000 square feet, the Sheetz Cafe is on the smaller side, as a lot of the newer Sheetz convenience store/gas locations opening up are 6,000 square feet.
The Sheetz in Altoona, which many of the locals refer to as the “Super Sheetz,” is a 10,200-square-foot store. A location similar to that in size is in Raleigh, N C.
These two stores serve as the stepping stone and “sandbox” for the Sheetz Cafe projects because a lot of learning is taken from both of them.
“We are really trying to focus on being a casual dining experience rather than relying on fuel,” said Mr. Augustine. “We think that’s the future, casual food made quickly.”
In addition to adding Sheetz Cafes in Pittsburgh, Mr. Augustine also mentioned locations near Virginia Tech, the University of Virginia and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
“We do a lot of playing around at Sheetz,” he said. “This may work and it may not, but the good news is that we are willing to try different concepts.”
Shea Beaumont, a former Post-Gazette intern, is a senior at Allegheny College.
First Published: August 14, 2016, 4:00 a.m.
