6 Gas Station Chains That Have The Best Hot Food, According To Customers

Step aside, McDonald's: Americans have a new favorite road trip stop. Whether they're regional, cult-inspiring chains or national operations, gas stations that offer hot foods are ubiquitous in the U.S. As menus and offerings expand, customers have their choice when it comes to a hot meal on the road, and not just from fast-food chains. In fact, many customers say that they prefer getting breakfast, lunch, and even dinner at certain gas station chains as opposed to stopping at a typical fast-food restaurant.

One of the myths that you may believe about gas station food is that it's not high-quality. However, considering that many of these gas stations are now more associated with hot food than they are fuel, and the fact that consumers even say that they swing by for a hot meal on their way to work or on the way home, you may think otherwise. We set out to find the best hot foods at gas stations, combing through online reviews and forums to make a list of customers' favorites and the foods they seek out at these chains across the country. We were looking for gas stations with lots of options, all-day availability, and a wide-ranging menu. 

Sheetz was founded in central Pennsylvania, and that continues to be where many are concentrated, although states like Ohio, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, and North Carolina also lay claim to the chain, which now has over 500 locations. The gas station has been focused on hot food for decades and now boasts 24/7 availability for most of its most popular offerings, which our taster ranked from worst to best. In fact, Sheetz is credited with coining the term "made-to-order" in 1986 as a way to position gas station food as higher quality. Overall customers frequently applaud its food, especially during times, like the night shift, when finding hot alternatives is difficult. 

One Redditor identified Sheetz as the best gas station hot food, saying that it offers "incredibly convenient, great value, infinite options, seriously tasty grub." Another customer agreed, writing, "They make it incredibly easy to order food and customize it to your liking. It's always quick and if you want to eat there they have nice seating areas that don't feel like a 'gas station.'"

Sheetz shows up on lists for hot food primarily because of the wealth of options that it offers travelers. Standard favorites, like burgers, sandwiches, and pizzas are complemented by made-to-order hot items with a rotating menu. Customers say that their favorite menu items at Sheetz include curly fries, wings, mac and cheese bites, grilled chicken sandwiches, and hot dogs. One Redditor wrote that Sheetz has the best-tasting chili dogs, while another called the French toast sticks a "hidden treasure."  

Wawa, which is frequently stacked against Sheetz, dominates the East Coast and shows up on list after list as a cult favorite. Though first founded in 1902 as a dairy in Pennsylvania, Wawa became a market and food destination by the 1960s, after which it rapidly expanded and added fuel service starting in 1996. Perhaps because of its initial emphasis on food, the chain continually tops lists of favorite gas station foods and inspires fervor online. "Wawa, hands down," one Redditor wrote on a thread about best gas station foods.

This chain, which can be found in states ranging from Pennsylvania to Virginia to Florida, started offering dinner as of 2021. The sandwiches have been voted as better than even those found at traditional hoagie joints. Fan favorites include the Meatball Parm.

Beyond just the hoagies, which we ranked from worst to best, customers say that they're generally satisfied with the entire menu. "I enjoy just about every food and beverage on the Wawa menu and get food from there 4-5 times a week," said one Redditor. Customers love the mac and cheese bowls and chicken strips and also frequently call out the breakfast offerings, including omelettes, breakfast croissants, and Sizzlis as being surprisingly delicious.

Casey's is a staple in Midwest communities and roadside stops. It was founded in Iowa in 1968 and has dispersed to 19 states across the country since then. Casey's is famous for its pizza, and some customers even go to Casey's to get pizza when they're not on a road trip. This gas station is so committed to pizza that it even offers gluten-free crust, making it a fan favorite across the states in which it appears and for celebrity chefs like Andrew Zimmern. "Casey's is just a pizza place that has a gas station attached," one fan wrote on Reddit. In fact, Casey's claims it's the country's fifth-largest pizza chain. Customers call out its breakfast pizza as the only correct answer to the question of best hot food at a gas station and rank it as an easy top pick. 

The pizza became a focus for Casey's in 1985, and now, the menu ranges from breakfast pizzas to specialty pies, all made with from-scratch dough, mozzarella, and fresh vegetables. The breakfast pizza in particular gets a lot of love on Reddit, with one customer claiming that New Yorkers would pay New York pizza prices for Casey's if they knew how good it was and others saying it's better than Chicago's famous deep-dish pizza.

Buc-ee's repeatedly gets recognized as having some of the best overall hot food at gas stations by drivers. "[Buc-ee's] is on a whole other level," one customer wrote on Reddit. Founded in Texas in 1982, Buc-ee's is a relative newcomer to the fuel service scene. "Best gas station food without a doubt," one Redditor responded when asked about hot food at gas stations. 

Specifically, it is known for its barbecue and other unique offerings, including the kolache, which is a bun made with enriched dough. Buc-ee's sells many types of sweet and savory kolache, and the sausage one gets a lot of attention online. Customers frequently mention its famous brisket sandwich, which was created by a world-champion barbecuer, above all other offerings, though. "Those Brisket sandwiches are [so] good when you've been on the road for a few hours," wrote one Redditor.

Kwik Trip was founded in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, in 1965 and introduced the hot food program in 2003 to its 309 locations. Today, with about 800 stores in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa, the regional chain has made a splash and is consistently named as American travelers' favorite hot food spots, boasting a clear dedication to its hot food program. One example? It makes 40,000 pizzas a day to feed hungry drivers. 

Kwik Trip serves a wide variety of hot foods, including a fried chicken offering that debuted in 2019. One Redditor wrote that Kwik Trip's chicken beats out the chicken sold at Kentucky Fried Chicken and Chick-fil-A. Another said that they haven't found any other food in the Midwest that compared to Kwik Trip's offerings.

Customers specifically call out the waffle breakfast sandwich, crispy chicken sandwich, pizza, and the patty melt as favorites. The wings also get a lot of love, with customers raving in particular about the sauces, including the garlic Parm flavors and the sweet and smoky sauce.

7-Eleven is the largest chain on this list by far, clocking in at over 86,000 locations in 19 countries around the world. The "world's first convenience store" was founded in Texas in 1927 and has quickly expanded, becoming one of the first convenience stores to offer food 24/7. Today, 7-Eleven is particularly legendary for its offerings in Japan, and according to some customers, the gas stations here in the U.S. aren't far behind. "7-Eleven never fails," wrote one Redditor. 

The wings are frequent winners on lists of favorite hot foods to grab at a gas station, and customers say that when the food is fresh, it's some of the best on offer. In particular, the taquitos have quite a cult following, as well as the pizza. "No joke, [the pizza] was better than any I'd had from Dominos or Pizza Hut. Not amazingly better, but definitely better," said one Redditor.

We wanted to know which gas stations have the best hot food on offer, so we researched both regional and national chains to see what customers had to say about them. To earn a spot on our list, the gas stations had to be mentioned multiple times by customers as worthy of stops, on road trips and beyond, specifically for hot food. We also took the size of the menu, availability throughout the day, and pricing into account.