ROMULUS (WWJ) — Sheetz, the popular East Coast gas station and food chain, has officially arrived in Metro Detroit.
A grand opening ceremony was held Tuesday at Vining and Wick Roads, near Detroit Metro Airport, marking what the company says is the first of many coming to Michigan.
Sheetz is something of a “one stop shop” for road trippers and daily drivers alike, where you can get everything from gas to snacks, drinks, and even made-to-order food.
WWJ’s Mike Campbell reports there were some 400 people at the Romulus location Tuesday morning for the grand opening celebration, which included $3.09/gallon gas, free self-serve coffee and pop all day, as well as “swag” and major gift card giveaways — including the grand prize of “free Sheetz for a year,” in the form of a $2,500 gift card.
While Sheetz offers made-to-order “burgerz and hot dogz,” pizza, chicken sandwiches, and plenty of other items, CEO Travis Sheetz told Campbell his favorite is and always has been breakfast.
“You can get it any hour of the day. And I do; I’ll eat breakfast at lunch or dinner. I obviously eat my way through the menu, so to speak, but breakfast is probably my go-to,” Sheetz said.
Sheetz says his family opened their first location in Pennsylvania in 1952 and it has evolved quite a bit in the last 70 years.
“It started out as a dairy store, then some convenience items, some deli meats and things like that, then my uncle just started pushing it. He was a real entrepreneur. He decided to put parking in, open 24/7, then we brought food in and coffee and it just kind of evolved. It’s evolved over the last 70 years,” he said.
One Romulus resident told Campbell the new Sheetz is now the city’s claim to fame.
“The city of Romulus has nothing but the airport. That’s it,” she said. “If you were born and raised here, which I was, you got the airport… and now we’ve got Sheetz!”
Sheetz said as many as 50 to 60 locations could open in Michigan in the next five or six years.
The company also made three separate $5,000 donations to Forgotten Harvest, the Romulus Parks and Recreation Department and Special Olympics Michigan.
More on today's top stories: