Wawa Slips Nationally but Still Rules the Northeast

Wawa’s grip on the top spot in convenience-store customer satisfaction has loosened again. The Delaware County-based chain scored 80 out of 100 in the American Customer Satisfaction Index’s 2026 Convenience Store Study, down two points from 2025.

Wawa tied for second nationally with Pennsylvania rival Sheetz, which also fell two points, and QuikTrip, which held steady. Meijer took first place with a score of 82. It is the second straight year Wawa has missed the top spot after leading the study in its inaugural year in 2024.

The regional picture is friendlier. Wawa ranked first in the Northeast with a 79 and first in the South with an 82, beating Buc-ee’s, QuikTrip and Sheetz there. No other chain led more than one region, reports Emma Dooling of the Philadelphia Business Journal.

The study drew on 9,475 customer surveys collected between October 2025 and September 2026. Shoppers rated chains on hours, locations, food quality, checkout speed and mobile app performance.

The dip was not Wawa’s alone. Overall satisfaction across the industry fell from 76 to 75. Researchers found lower marks for mobile app quality, store cleanliness, layout and employee courtesy, and bathroom cleanliness, rated for the first time this year, averaged just 74 nationally.

Food is where the battle is moving. The National Association of Convenience Stores says food service now makes up 28.5 percent of in-store sales and 38.9 percent of gross profit. Wawa keeps investing in new store formats and Fly Thrus, its mobile order pickup windows.

For a hometown brand with hundreds of stores across the Delaware Valley, second place nationally still beats nearly everyone. But two straight years of slippage is a trend worth watching heading into the holidays.