Monmouth Poll: Wawa, QuickChek or 7-Eleven?

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When it comes to New Jersey’s favorite convenience store, Wawa is the go-to place, according to a new poll by Monmouth University.

In a survey released April 16, 50% of respondents chose Wawa, putting it far ahead of 7-Eleven (15%), QuickChek (14%) and other c-stores (10%).

Wawa – which marked its 60th anniversary this week with free coffee and 60 cent doughnuts – is easily the preferred stop in South Jersey, where it has had a foothold since its earliest days. According to the poll, 79% of residents in the southern part of the state ranked it as their favorite.

It was also the top convenience pick for a majority of Central Jersey residents (61%), the survey found.

While a relative newcomer in North Jersey, Wawa (31%) also edged out 7-Eleven (24%) and QuickChek (19%) as favorite c-store.

Though, the poll noted that the close results in North Jersey are driven by a large split in urban and suburban opinions.

In the region’s cities and urban centers, 7-Eleven took the top spot for convenience purchases (38%), followed by Wawa (25%) and QuickChek (19%). However, in suburban areas, Wawa (34%) has a lead over QuickChek (20%) and 7-Eleven (15%).

Taking over

Commenting on the results, Monmouth University Polling Institute director Patrick Murray said, “It wasn’t that long ago when you wouldn’t even have heard of Wawa north of the Raritan River. It appears to be taking over the entire state, although 7-Eleven is holding its own in New Jersey’s cities.”

Conducted by phone between Feb. 29 and March 4, the survey of 801 respondents has a margin of error of +/- 4.2 percentage points.

Wawa opened its first convenience store in Folsom, Pa., in April 1964. It has since grown to a more than 1,000-store footprint in the Northeast. In New Jersey, it has more than 260 locations. 

QuickChek began in 1967 as a single store in Dunellen. Now a wholly owned subsidiary of Murphy USA, the Whitehouse Station-based brand operates 154 stores, including 104 locations with fuel throughout New Jersey and New York.

7-Eleven is headquartered in Texas. It operates, franchises and/or licenses more than 13,000 stores in North America. Within New Jersey, the 97-year-old chain has more than 300 stores.