Wawa Plans to Give Out 2 Million Free Coffees on Thursday

Wawa, the convenience store with an incredibly dedicated fan base in Philly, opened its first retail store in April 1964. This week marks its 55th anniversary, so you know what that means: Wawa Day. On Thursday, April 11, Wawa is holding anniversary celebrations in six stores, one in every state it has a presence. The Philly event is in the giant new Wawa on Independence Mall, at 6th and Chestnut streets.

During Wawa Day, Wawa plans to give away free coffee all day in any size at every single location. The company anticipates giving out more than 2 million free cups.

Along with the free coffee on Thursday, at the Independence Mall Wawa (150 S. Independence Mall West) Wawa’s president and CEO Chris Gheysens will pour the first cup of coffee marking the day and Mayor Jim Kenney will give a speech about Wawa’s impact in Philly. Mike Solomonov (Zahav, Goldie, The Rooster, Federal Donuts) will compete with Wawa’s chef Farley Kaiser to see who can make the most Broad Street Meatball Hoagies, the charitable sandwich collaboration.

It’s also the fifth anniversary of the Wawa Foundation, which according to the company has donated more than $66 million to causes surrounding health, hunger, and “every day heroes.” In Pennsylvania on Wawa Day, the foundation is giving a $1 million contribution to three organizations ($3 million total): Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Special Olympics, and Check Out Hunger.