First Buc-ee's outside of Texas opens today

The local broadcast station covered the highly anticipated opening on Monday. The local broadcast station covered the highly anticipated opening on Monday. Photo: NBC15/Mobile, AL Photo: NBC15/Mobile, AL Image 1 of / 45 Caption Close First Buc-ee's outside of Texas opens today 1 / 45 Back to Gallery

It's official: Buc-ee's is no longer exclusively a Texas chain.

About 100 people braved the cold weather and stood in line before the sun rose Monday morning for opening of the first Buc-ee's outside of the Lone Star State.

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The store in Baldwin County, Alabama, opened at 6 a.m. this morning, giving Alabama residents their first taste of unique amenities that became a staple in Texas since it opened in 1982.

The 50,000-square-foot store offers 124 fueling stations and "the biggest, most pristine bathrooms the state of Alabama has ever seen," according to a press release.

Judging by the turnout at the opening, it's clear the legend of the store's highly addictive snacks have spread well beyond Texas. Beaver Nuggets, a wildly popular product made of sugar, caramel and butter-coated corn puffs, may have had something to do with that. The store also offers barbecue, beef jerky and homemade fudge.

According to Forbes, Buc-ee's has "taken advantage of years of low interest rates to finance an expansion that is designed to make them a power across the southeast."

A second location outside Texas is projected to open this summer in Daytona Beach, Florida, the Daytona Beach News-Journal reported.

The Alabama store is almost identical to the one that recently opened in Katy, except the new location doesn't have a car wash, Nadalo said. It's located at 20403 County Rd. 68 in Robertsdale, Alabama, along Interstate 10 and the Baldwin Beach Express.

Julian Gill is a digital reporter in Houston. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and on our subscriber site, houstonchronicle.com. | julian.gill@chron.com | Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message

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