The 93rd Build
Yesway, Inc. (Nasdaq: YSWY) opened a new-to-industry Allsup's convenience store at 16460 South Highway 385 in Odessa, Texas on September 21, adding its 93rd ground-up build to a portfolio that now spans 452 stores across nine Midwest and Southwest states. The 5,630-square-foot location operates 24 hours a day and is designed specifically to capture the dual traffic streams that define the Permian Basin market: everyday local shoppers and the professional drivers who move through West Texas's energy corridor.
Forecourt and Foodservice Mix
On the forecourt, the Odessa store offers 10 multi-product fuel dispensers alongside five dedicated diesel lanes and 11 truck parking spaces — a configuration that signals Yesway's intent to compete directly for the commercial-fleet segment that chains like Pilot and Love's have long dominated in the region. Inside, the anchor of the foodservice program remains the Allsup's World Famous Burrito, the deep-fried signature item that has anchored the brand's back-of-house identity for decades. The store rounds out its offer with Yesway private-label snacks, a beer cave, fresh grocery staples — bread, milk, eggs — ATMs and Western Union services.
Texas Build-Out Pace
Yesway has built 93 new-to-industry locations in roughly five years, a clip that puts it among the more aggressive ground-up developers in the channel at a time when many operators have prioritized mergers and acquisitions over organic construction. New-to-industry builds carry higher upfront capital requirements but allow operators to spec modern forecourts, right-size back-of-house foodservice layouts and avoid the remodel costs that often shadow acquired legacy sites. For Yesway, the Allsup's banner — with its established brand equity across Texas and New Mexico — gives those new builds an immediate identity rather than requiring years of consumer awareness investment.
Texas remains the strategic center of gravity for the expansion. The state's combination of population growth, heavy commercial-vehicle traffic and a dispersed rural footprint aligns well with the Allsup's store format, which was built from the ground up to serve highway corridors. The Odessa site, positioned on a state highway rather than an urban arterial, follows that template closely.
"Our continued growth across Texas is a testament to the dedication of our team members, whose commitment to operational excellence and customer service is at the heart of our success," said Tom Trkla, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Yesway. Trkla framed the Odessa investment as part of a broader commitment to modern, accessible stores that serve both communities and transient customers.
For operators tracking new-to-industry development trends and foodservice-at-cstore strategies, Yesway's pace in Texas illustrates how a branded foodservice anchor — in this case a single iconic SKU — can justify ground-up capital deployment in markets where the competitive set is fragmented.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
