This Gas Station Is Officially The Best US Convenience Store (And No, It's Not Buc-Ee's)

Buc-ee's may be a social media darling — but it is not the best U.S. convenience store, at least not according to the latest findings by the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). In its 2025 study, the ACSI researched consumer sentiments around the country to rank major convenience store chains. Last week, it published its results alongside those of last year's study, showing which chains — which include 7-Eleven, Meijer, and ExxonMobile — have moved up or down the list.

The number one-ranked convenience store, according to the ACSI study, may be a surprise to some, as its customer satisfaction score was a whopping 8% higher than last year — the biggest change, either increasing or decreasing, than any other franchise. This year's top-ranked convenience store chain is Kwik Trip, not to be confused with the Quik Trip, the similarly-named chain that ranks fourth on this year's index, down from its second-place position on the 2024 list.

Between Kwik Trip and Quik Trip, Sheetz and WaWa are tied with the second-highest consumer satisfaction score. That leaves Buc-ee's ranking as 5th on this year's index, tied with Love's. This comes after a 1% drop from its score last year, when it was ranked third.

Despite this slight decrease in consumer satisfaction, Buc-ee's is still placed relatively high on the list, which includes over two dozen convenience stores. The chain, which was founded in 1982, and is based in Texas, is practically an institution for truckers and other highway travelers in the South. It currently has over 50 locations across 11 states and territories, including Kentucky, Georgia, and Alabama, with a vast majority of them situated in Texas.

It's also known for having exceptionally clean restrooms, which won a nationwide contest in 2012, as well as having at least two world records — one for the longest car wash (255 feet) and one for the world's largest convenience store. This massive store includes 120 gas pumps and covers 75,593 square feet or roughly 1.7 acres. Despite these impressive accolades, Buc-ee's could not earn as high a consumer satisfaction score as Kwik Trip, which is based out of La Crosse, Wisconsin. Despite being new to the number one spot on ACSI's list, Kwik Trip has actually been around longer than Buc-ee's — it was founded in 1965. Today, it has over 850 stores across the Midwest and employs over 38,000 people.

Only time will tell if Buc-ee's can climb back up in the rankings and possibly even steal the top spot from Quik Trip, assuming ACSI publishes an updated list in 2026. However, an up-and-comer may end up challenging both for the bragging rights of being the best American convenience store. The Texan is a relatively new Texas-based rival to Buc-ee's and is quickly winning customers over, with truckers and others claiming it offers better food and nicer staff, as well as feeling less like a "theme park" as Buc-ee's.

While Kwik Trip has the highest average consumer satisfaction store nationwide, Buc-ee's score goes up a bit when just taking the U.S. South into account. We know this because ACSI helpfully includes regional stats in addition to its main index of the best U.S. convenience stores. These regional ASCI scores reveal some interesting insights into where people from different parts of the country prefer to get their gas and other grab-and-go essentials.

For example, Buc-ee's moves up to second place, tied with Sheetz, when it comes to the most-liked convenience store in the South, trailing only behind Wawa's. WaWa's also shares the highest ranking with Sheetz in the Northeast. In addition to being #1 nationally, Kwik Trip is also ranked #1 in the Midwest, with Sheetz as the runner-up. Notably, both are even more liked in the region than they are nationwide. In the West, 7-Eleven and Chevron hold the number one and two spots, respectively. Both have overall lower customer scores than the top-two or top-three chains in the other regions, however, which suggests that convenience store customers in the West are generally less satisfied than consumers in the rest of the country.

The ASCI reports that overall, consumer satisfaction with convenience stores continues to remain "quite stable year over year," though it notes that mobile apps and loyalty rewards programs are becoming increasingly popular with customers. The quality of hot food is also a strong factor for convenience stores' scores across the board, while more traditional factors — including location, store hours, and checkout speed — have not generally trended downward since last year.