Like many native Northerners, Wawa now resides in South Florida, and it’s thrown down a challenge to the local way of life. Its signature Hoagie is staring down the local cult-favorite "Pub Sub" as the lunch-break sandwich of choice.

Even the news media has chimed in, with reporters in Miami and Philadelphia trash-talking each other’s love in bread form, sparked by the news of the first Wawa opening in Broward County, where Publix Super Markets have long been king.

"We didn’t even try to order a sub because the lines were too long and plus Publix exists," wrote the Miami Herald’s Connie Ogle.

"We don’t know what a Publix is, but it sounds like a restroom," shot back Stephanie Farr, a Philadelphia Daily News crime reporter and Wawa diehard.

So The Palm Beach Post asked our readers what they thought of the Wawa vs. Publix debate, now that the Pennsylvania-based chain has taken roots here. Wawa opened its first Palm Beach County on March 23 in Palm Springs and now has seven in the county and the Treasure Coast. More than 500 people responded Sunday — and the response was spicy, savory … anything but sweet.

Publix vs. Wawa: Post your comment here

Some like Wawa’s softer bread. Others prefer the Publix meat. All were ready to spar.

Even with the fancy convenience store still riding on the South Florida new-hype wave, even some northeasterner’s have some doubts about the so-called famous hoagies.

"Oh please, I’m from Maryland and even I know Publix subs smoke Wawa hoagies without trying," Sean Rankin-Blight wrote on the Post’s Facebook page. When asked why, Rankin-Blight has three words, "Chicken Tender Sub."

As Ogle pointed out in her article, the hot sub has its own dedicated website to let customers know if they’re on sale (they’re not right now, unfortunately): ArePublixChickenTenderSubsOnSale.com.

But some of our readers say skip the chicken — gnawing on its "hard" bread isn’t worth it. Tiara Smith comments that Publix’s bread is stale and lacks full meat-capacity as compared to Wawa hoagies.

Nate Brown wrote that he won’t deny Pub Subs are good, but Wawa may have a one-up on handling crowds. He said he even ordered online for Publix and still had to wait (maybe because everyone was at Publix and not Wawa).

Quick doesn’t always mean better, especially for Michael Woods, who wrote, "I would starve rather than try Wawa again," after he received two distasteful hoagies.

In the midst of debate between the two, there’s always that one person. John Hernandez wrote, "Neither, still end up at Jersey Mikes."

Don’t be like John.