A Maryland-based convenience store chain known for its fried chicken will build its first New Jersey stores this year.

Wawa competitor Royal Farms has started construction on one store, on Evesham Avenue in Magnolia, and plans to break ground on four more South Jersey locations in the spring.

Royal Farms is a familiar name to residents in the Mid-Atlantic and will pose direct competition to Wawa's dominance in New Jersey.

The company is family owned and traces its roots back nearly 100 years. Current president John Kemp's grandfather began with a dairy business in Baltimore in 1918 and his father opened the first store 41 years later in that city.

Royal Farms now boasts 173 locations in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Virginia, and employs about 4,500.

The chain's other New Jersey stores are coming to East Greenwich Township, at the site of the former Berkley Diner on West Cohawkin and Berkley roads, on Crescent Boulevard in Gloucester City, at Route 73 and Sunbird Drive in Marlton and on south Black Horse Pike in Bellmawr.

Work on the Bellmawr site is slated to begin in April, with the others starting in May. No opening dates have been announced for any of the locations, though construction usually takes about six months, explained Royal Farms spokeswoman Brittany Eldredge.

Each store will include full-service gas stations.

The new locations are all fairly close to existing Wawa stores.

"We think there is room for healthy competition," Eldredge said. "We feel we offer something different."

One of these differences is readily apparently from the parking lot of any Royal Farms. The smell of fried chicken, which is prepared on site at the stores, is a company signature.

"I think our big difference is in our food offerings," Eldredge said. "We are very well-known for our fabulous fried chicken." Other popular offerings include western fries, grilled chicken and breakfast favorites, including spam and scrapple.

The stores also include indoor and outdoor chairs and tables.

Each New Jersey store will employ about 50 people, with about 70 percent of those full-time positions. This is also the first state Royal Farms has entered where they will need to hire employees to pump gas.

As for how much of a push the company will make into New Jersey, officials haven't publicly outlined their long-term goals.

"At this point, there is nothing I can really talk about," Eldredge said. "We would love to have more of a presence in New Jersey."

So we have a Royal Farms in Maryland.. Basically like a Wawa but with fried chicken & their food is too damn good 😩😩😍 — ✨moonchild (@miichhelleexo) January 5, 2017

I can't associate with anyone who thinks royal farms is better than wawa — alexa :) (@alexakiiing) January 9, 2017

Royal Farms > Wawa — julian (@_fuegoju) February 3, 2017

Someone just said out loud in my class that Royal Farms is better than WAWA and now the professor is in the argument, happy Monday everyone — Ali Bayar (@alibayar98) January 30, 2017

Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattGraySJT. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.