The Yard @ College Avenue Restaurants Announced
- Thread starter Leonard23
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Royal Farms also has the feel of a pit stop.
They just built 5-6 locations in South Jersey...my bet is they don’t last very long.
What do you mean the feel of a pit stop? I've been to all these places across the east coast and they're all laid out the same. Some are generally nicer than others but that depends on area/management. Some Royal Farms and Sheetz I've been to are nicer than Wawa.
Some of the older RFs down in Maryland do have a dumpy feel but some new construction ones or renovated ones are pretty much on par with WW and QC in terms of look and feel. I have found the few Sheetz locations in south-central PA and one I've been to in central VA to be a little less appealing upon walking in, but again, perhaps only because they were older, not incredibly well maintained, and not with a crisp/clean look and feel like a newly opened or recently renovated one might be.
In my mind, I haven't been able to discern that WW has any particular secret sauce in this genre.
In my mind, I haven't been able to discern that WW has any particular secret sauce in this genre.
We aren’t that young anymore. But for those who are they seem to like it. Whatever “it” is.
Fair enough, but I'd still tend to agree with @Upstream (similarly not a youngin, I gather) that the "it" might not be much more than hype/cult following that has overrated the experience, and this can manifest as a pseudo "peer pressure" to go along with/follow the crowd because it might not be as socially acceptable to resist. "If most/all of my friends are into it, I probably should be too (even if I don't agree with the hype)"...not saying this is necessarily the case with all young people, including your boys and their hockey teammates.
All I'm saying it's there and they (that demographic not just my guys) like it.
I would imagine if this urban version of a WaWa ends up in this place it would do well there with the available clientele.
The only Sheetz I’ve been to have been in the middle of PA so that may have something to do with it.
As far as Royal Farms, I’ve been into one of the new ones in South Jersey. While it was shiny and new, the pit stop feel came from all of the fried food they offered as well as the porno mags they sold right out in the open (didn’t even know places still sold those in 2018).
I also had to wait about 10 minutes for my chicken tenders which while still good, they were cold so let’s say I’ll never be going back there again.
Royal Farms and Sheetz certainly have a more rural target, so they tend to be less upscale. Wawa and QuickChek are more affluent-suburban and thus the offerings are more upscale. Wawa's new urban stores in Philadelphia are testing an even more upscale design (following a model pioneered elsewhere: https://www.wsj.com/articles/welcome-to-the-new-convenience-store-1524677133 ). If it is successful, then they will roll out more of them ... and QuickChek will quickly follow. But this upscale model is more difficult for c-stores like Sheetz, as it is incongruous with their brand positioning.
I would agree with this.
My original point is that covenience stores in this area have evolved rapidly over the past 10 years and urban formats are becoming the thing now.
NB would be a great place to land a Wawa (or Quickcheck) as it would fill the need of everyone in the city.
I just think Wawa is more advanced than quick Check overall and has been rolling out these urban stores at increasing pace the past couple of years.
Maybe, but only by about 12 months on the urban model. And QuickChek is already incorporating a lot of the urban features into their new suburban stores, including free wifi, phone charging stations, upscale seating areas, and fresh menu items.
What major cities is Quick Check rolling out stores in? Wawa is opening up new giant stores after new giant stores in Philly and are moving down to DC.
I thought Quickcheck was basically the NJ and NY suburbs?
You said “Maybe, but by only about 12 months on the Urban model”.
I meant being more advanced (strategically) in terms of building new large stores within cities...
Really not my intention to discuss Wawa vs. Quickcheck though as that’s been done countless times on this board. I think either one would be great for NB and Rutgers.
Technically past tense...they've already moved into DC as I mentioned above. Opened their first store in downtown back in Dec 2017. Apparently it's the largest store in their entire portfolio at nearly 10,000 SF. Three other DC stores are in the works as of this past spring.
At least in RF's case, from my experience in the Maryland area, I don't believe its target segment is rural as much as just typical mid-scale suburban as well as quasi-urban (technically within a city such as Baltimore - but still free-standing store format, with or without fuel pumps).
I wouldn't expect QC to expand their footprint in the next 12 months into major cities like Phila, DC, NY, or Boston. But they could follow that model into smaller cities like New Brunswick, Hoboken, Morristown, Red Bank, Princeton, etc.
(Note, Wawa recently opened a remodeled store next to Princeton Univ and a new store on Somerset St a few blocks from New Brunswick HS ... neither downtown and neither following their urban model. So there is no evidence that they would open an urban-model store near the Rutgers campus. What they do in Philadelphia is irrelevant to this thread if they don't bring that model to Rutgers.)
Isn’t that the point of this thread? To discuss what if’s?
I never said Wawa is only opening urban stores. No idea why you’re cherry picking what I say and keep avoiding my overall point.
A Wawa OR Quickcheck would be good for Rutgers and downtown New Brunswick.
Jeez
But we both know a Wawa would be better. ;)
Another burger joint? Is there any other business that can work in the College Ave area besides restaurant takeout style food, bars, or convenience stores? I am dying for some diversity in commercial spaces in that area. I went to Lawrence Kansas two weeks ago and they had half a dozen retail shops on their version of Easton Ave and they had no parking decks available, only street parking.
IMHO Shopping habits are too established in nj for many retailers to be successful in nb unless you're introducing something new and fresh plus the median income in nb is probably lower than in Lawrence KS, plus taxes and land is most likely more expensive...
Yeah, Lawrence had Urban Outfitters and a bunch of local retail. I'm surprised we can't get any retail.
No difference at all, it's all marketing. I go with Quick Check because NJ always > PA.
edit: we've talked with Cofifa about the retail piece. They've tried. No takers. Demos in NB just don't support it.
How can Lawrence and State College support an Urban Outfitters or some other local retail shops but New Brunswick and Rutgers can't? The $ in NJ and Rutgers students is more than enough. Kids would shop there instead of having to drive or hitch a ride to Bridgewater, Menlo Park or Woodbridge. It seems like a missed opportunity or an inability to sell the potential.
Look at your post the answer is right there. State College and Lawrence are the centers of population while NB is surrounded by shopping malls and lots of competing markets
But students would shop on campus and support those shops, rather than going to those malls.
Ok but what about the other 4 months out of the year?
And how many times would on-campus Rutgers students go to an Urban Outfitters, during a semester and actually buy something instead of using their wifi??
The answer is: because demographics and traffic patterns
Which is why I think the continual building off "luxury" student housing is incredibly foolish. If developers continue to build buildings that cater to adults with some disposable income (near the student area, not downtown) instead of students relying on Mommy, Daddy and Sallie Mae there will be an explosion of commercial options because you will have people walking along Easton Ave with money to spend.
