Buc-ee’s Abandons Plans To Expand Outside Texas, Backs out of Baton Rouge Deal

You can imagine I was a bit disappointed for my family and friends when I was made aware this afternoon that the venerable Buc-ee's had abandoned plans to expand outside of Texas and build their first location on the other side of the border in Louisiana, specifically in my hometown of Baton Rouge, the state's capital.

When I moved to Texas, my dad rode with me on the trip. We stopped off at several Buc-ee's. He loved it: the clean restrooms, the fresh deli/BBQ food, the drink selection, it's the total package. I would've thought Baton Rouge would have been a natural expansion spot

According to the Baton Rouge Business Report and the Baton Rouge Advocate, the company has canceled their purchase agreement citing market forces beyond their control. For whatever reasons, they feel they can't make it happen. What a shame.

I had thought that this was all part of a larger if somewhat fictitious cultural exchange: the beaver steaks a claim in my hometown at just about the same time as Raising Canes, the Baton Rouge founded and headquartered chicken restaurant, was opening in Temple.  Thankfully, that restaurant is set to open on October 25, although you'll forgive the analogy, I'm not counting my chickens until they're hatched.  After all, wasn't Walgreen's set to open in downtown Temple before totally abandoning their plans and a completely finished building? Now I don't want to jinx anything, and that building is now an emergency clinic - a much better deal IMHO -  but we're so close, I don't want any bad mojo!

It can't have gone unnoticed that during the recent floods, the area Buc-ee's was looking at took on a significant amount of water, including the very plot of land on which the store was to be built. I grew up near that area and normally, the part of the Millerville Road area in Baton Rouge they'd planned to use doesn't flood. Unfortunately, there was nothing normal about the recent rains which soaked the area like nothing in anyone's lifetime.

Then there is the recent unpleasantness with the police and the racial unrest. That kind of thing can give anyone a case of buyer's remorse. We have no proof that or the flooding or protests had anything to do with Buc-ee's decision, and I don't want to cast aspersions. It's unfortunate this happened when Baton Rouge could have used a pick-me-up most. At the same time, given the witch-hunt mentality of the press and the mob mentaility on Twitter and other social media platfoms, who needs the headache?

Maybe they happened to be in Baton Rouge during a normal day and saw the heinous traffic on I-12. We could speculate for days.

To my friends back home, I have no answers.To my friends in Temple/Belton/all of Bell County, see you October 25 at Cane's.