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Buc-ee’s Founder Says the Chain Will Focus on Expanding in Conservative States - Here’s Why

Buc-ee's latest expansion comments point to a new political priority

By Amanda Machado , Edited by Calista Headrick

Updated Sept. 27, 2026

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Buc-ee's has spent the past several years turning its Texas-born travel-center concept into a national brand, opening enormous stores far beyond its original Southern location. But a recent comment from founder and CEO Arch "Beaver" Aplin III suggests that politics, local cooperation, and the business climate could increasingly influence where the chain chooses to build to avoid wasting money.

Speaking at the grand opening of Buc-ee's first Arkansas location in Benton on August 17, Aplin praised the state and local community while explaining why certain markets have become more attractive to the company. He stopped short of announcing a formal rule that Buc-ee's would only enter conservative states, but his remarks show what he considers important when evaluating future locations.

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Aplin pointed to conservative, business-friendly states

Aplin's comments are about the combination of political orientation and practical business conditions. He said Buc-ee's is continuing to see plenty of opportunities, but added that finding a conservative, business-friendly state with a "phenomenal workforce" makes a difference.

His remarks were about his preference for certain environments rather than an announced corporate policy excluding liberal or Democratic-led states. The comments suggest that political and governmental relationships could be important as Buc-ee's expands into additional markets.

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A strong workforce is important to Buc-ee's

For a retailer built around huge stores, restaurants, fueling stations, and round-the-clock customer traffic, staffing is a major consideration. Buc-ee's has promoted hundreds of jobs at some new locations, making access to a dependable labor pool an important part of opening a successful travel center.

The Benton location, for example, was expected to employ roughly 300 workers, while Buc-ee's advertised positions across food service, retail, maintenance, and other departments. The company's own job postings have also highlighted benefits and opportunities for advancement, showing why Aplin singled out workforce quality when discussing expansion.

Local government cooperation matters

Aplin also emphasized the importance of finding communities that support the company's arrival. In Benton, he described the town as business-friendly and contrasted that experience with places where residents or officials have not appreciated what Buc-ee's brings.

That issue is especially important for a company whose stores require large sites, extensive infrastructure, and substantial permitting work. A cooperative relationship between a retailer and local government could make development smoother, while zoning disputes, opposition, or prolonged negotiations could create additional hurdles before construction even begins.

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Incentives help shape expansion decisions

Buc-ee's expansion also comes with the kind of economic-development discussions common to large retail projects. States and communities interested in attracting a major travel center may offer incentives, infrastructure assistance, or favorable development arrangements as part of an effort to bring jobs and investment into an area.

The appeal of a market is not simply whether customers like Buc-ee's, according to Aplin; the company also needs suitable land, labor, infrastructure, and cooperation from government officials. Those factors help explain his focus on conservative places that make the development process worthwhile.

State leaders are important to Buc-ee's

The Arkansas opening provided a clear example of the kind of political reception Aplin appears to value. Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders attended the Benton grand opening, and the event was seen as an important addition to the state's retail and travel infrastructure.

Buc-ee's has received similarly enthusiastic treatment from state leaders elsewhere. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott attended the August opening of the company's San Marcos store and praised Buc-ee's economic contribution, including its creation of more than 170 jobs at that location.

Buc-ee's expansion has been rapid

The comments arrive as Buc-ee's continues pushing into new markets. The Benton opening was described as the company's 58th location, while another new Texas store in San Marcos brought the chain's national footprint to nearly 60 locations.

The company has expanded into states including Arizona, Arkansas, Missouri, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Colorado, Virginia, and others, making location selection increasingly important as the chain moves deeper into unfamiliar markets.

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Not every proposed Buc-ee's has been welcomed

Buc-ee's popularity does not guarantee unanimous support. Some proposed developments have faced neighborhood concerns, environmental objections, or disagreements over zoning and land use.

A recent example came in Iowa, where a proposed Buc-ee's location in Urbandale encountered opposition from the city council, while nearby communities continued competing for the project. Other proposals have also gotten pushback even as supporters promoted the stores for their jobs, tourism potential, and traffic-related economic activity.

The chain remains popular despite the pushback

The mixed reception makes Aplin's comments more understandable from a business perspective, even though his political language has attracted attention. Buc-ee's has developed a passionate customer base, with travelers treating its huge stores as destinations rather than ordinary gas stations.

That popularity gives communities a potential draw for tourists and highway traffic, while the company brings employment and commercial activity. At the same time, the enormous scale of Buc-ee's projects means concerns about traffic, development, and environmental effects are likely to remain part of the expansion conversation.

What this could mean for future Buc-ee's locations

Aplin's remarks suggest future Buc-ee's locations may be more likely to appear in states where conservative leadership, business-friendly policies, available workers, and supportive local officials overlap. That does not mean every future site has to meet a formal political test, since no such companywide restriction was announced.

Instead, his comments point toward a preference for communities where Buc-ee's leadership believes the political and business environment is aligned with the company's needs. For potential host cities, enthusiastic local support and a willingness to work with the retailer will become increasingly valuable when competing for one of the chain's massive stores.

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Bottom line

The biggest takeaway is that Buc-ee's expansion strategy involves considerably more than finding a busy highway. According to Aplin, the quality of the workforce, relationships with state and local officials, and the business climate all influence whether a new market feels worthwhile. His praise for Arkansas shows that he values supportive leadership.

For consumers looking to go out to eat more and watch the chain's national growth, the political component adds another wrinkle to an already competitive expansion race. Cities may continue trying to land Buc-ee's because of the jobs and customer traffic it brings, but Aplin's latest remarks suggest conservative communities that actively embrace the company could have an advantage as future projects are considered.

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