Crowds flock to the opening of the world’s largest convenience store in Tennessee

Crowds of shoppers camped overnight for the public opening of the world’s largest convenience store – a Buc-ee’s travel center in Tennessee.

Located in Sevierville, the store is the first business to open at Exit 407: Gateway to Adventure – a 200-acre development owned and operated by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

The new site covers 74,000 square meters, has 120 gas pumps, a 75-meter car wash and has 400 full-time employees.

Reportedly, fans started lining up on Sunday night for the opening at 6am on Monday morning.

Local traffic officials previously warned that any new Buc-ee’s store tends to attract a “mile-long line of cars.”

And news broadcast Six on your side showed footage of shoppers excitedly rushing into the store shortly after the doors were unlocked.

Both Tennessee Governor Bill Lee and Servier County Mayor Larry Waters spoke at the grand ceremony — along with Buc-ee’s co-founder Beaver Aplin.

Buc-ee’s director of operations, Josh Smith, told ABC13, “It’s fun. It is exciting. There are so many people here ready to go.

“You formed a mob around midnight last night. So we opened the doors and saw hundreds of people pouring into the building in shock.’

The site is now the largest convenience store in the world, taking over the title from a 68,000-square-foot Buc-ee’s in New Braunfels, Texas.

But the Sevier site will only briefly hold the title of the world’s largest convenience store before being overtaken by a 75,000-square-foot Buc-ee’s planned in Luling, Texas.

Buc-ee’s is a Texas-based company founded in 1982 that now has super travel centers across America.

The shop is most famous for its “beaver nuggets” – a crunchy, sugar-coated corn nugget sold in bags.

It also boasts of being the “cleanest toilets in America.”

It is hoped that the newest store in Sevier County will attract more visitors to the nearby Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Buc-ee’s is a Texas based company founded in 1982 and now has super travel centers across America

The chain is famous most famous for its “beaver nuggets” — a crunchy, sugar-coated corn nugget sold in bags — and for having the “cleanest restrooms in America.”

The new store covers 74,000 square meters, has 120 gas stations, a 75-meter car wash and has 400 full-time employees

The site will only briefly hold the title of the world’s largest convenience store before being overtaken by a 75,000-square-foot Buc-ee’s planned in Luling, Texas

Fox54 reports that the new store will attract 15,000 new car rides every day, prompting some criticism from local residents.

Before opening, the interchange already handled around 23,000 journeys on an average day.

Real estate developer Matthew Cross, CEO of OE Experiences, previously folded Fox54: ‘The intersection at 407’ does not meet the design standards currently in place during peak traffic.

“One Buc-ee opens, the intersection is much more likely to fail – even under average traffic conditions.”

The Buc-ee’s is part of an entire entertainment center at Exit 407 – a $250 million immersive experience owned and operated by Kituwah, a subsidiary of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.