On the versatility of Wawa

Caitlin Noe ’24 is a government major. In addition to working as an opinions editor for the Flat Hat, she is a member of Alpha Phi Omega, the service fraternity. Email Caitlin at cjnoe@wm.edu.

The views expressed in the article are the author’s own.

If you are a student at the College of William and Mary, one thing is for sure — you will be going to Wawa at some point. For the few who don’t know, Wawa is a convenience store that is open 24/7. You will often find the store most busy on Friday and Saturday nights with hungry college students coming in after a night out. 

Wawa may be the only walkable option for students open 24/7, but many students also go because the food is pretty good and the options plentiful. I first discovered it my freshman year at the College; my home state of Illinois does not have Wawas. Ever since then, my life has been changed. Due to the frequency of times I have found myself there, I thought I would share some of my favorite Wawa picks and essentials. 

For breakfast, the breakfast burritos are good, but don’t get the lunch burrito. The bagel and croissant breakfast sandwiches available to grab and go are pretty good. The hash browns are also tasty. They are two for $5, so consider getting those as you rush to class. Also don’t overlook the bagel options, especially the everything bagel toasted with cream cheese, when you want a faster option than The Bake Shop or Aromas.  

Onto lunch, get the bacon cheeseburger but not the fries. Try the buffalo breaded chicken strip sandwich, the BBQ chicken strip sandwich, and the chicken parmesan breaded chicken strip sandwich. If chicken isn’t your thing, consider the meatball parmesan sandwich and also try the bacon avocado club sandwich. As for the sides, consider the cornbred, stuffing and regular mac n cheese, but not the buffalo mac n cheese. Try the cheese quesadillas but not the chicken quesadillas. They often go too light on the cheese in the chicken version of their quesadillas. Lastly, get a bowl. My favorite is the three chicken strips with mashed potatoes or mac n’ cheese bowl, but skip the burrito bowl.

A few random additions to my picks include the soft pretzels near the checkout lines at Wawa. They are only $1. Wawa also has a fantastic selection of ice cream and candy for your sweet tooth. Don’t forget you can also just run into Wawa for some chips and pretty much every other convenience store snack!

As for drinks, get the macchiatos and lattes. The hot versions are okay, but the iced versions are better. My favorite is the iced salted caramel latte with oat milk. They are not Starbucks, but are cheaper. Also oat milk is more affordable at Wawa than other near campus and on-campus options. Skip the popping bubbles at Wawa and go get boba at a bubble tea shop. I would recommend Kung Fu Tea in New Town. But try the Wawa fruit smoothies — mango banana and strawberry banana are best! 

Lastly, consider joining the rewards program and don’t forget you can use Express! Wawa may be most popular on Friday and weekends, but if you can’t stand the dining hall food one day, consider going for a random weekday meal. Treat yourself!