Monday was the grand opening.
Buc-ee's is open for business in Athens!
Dozens of excited customers lined up early Monday morning, waiting to get inside when the doors opened at 6 a.m.
"We had to check it out," Eunice Fry of Clarksville, Tennessee, said. "You can get everything you need at Buc-ee's!"
The store opening has been a long time coming for Limestone County.
"We're just really excited to be here," Buc-ee's Operations Manager Josh Smith said. "We're going to be providing a lot of jobs to the area which is a huge economic development opportunity for the city of Athens and surrounding counties."
Buc-ee's hired 250 workers to open the store. A bulk of them were on the clock for its first day.
"People want to know why we did it and why we picked this area," Buc-ee's BBQ Director Randy Pauly said. "We got the sweetest folks coming out of this area, and they're the best."
The football field-sized convenience store and gas station has it all, from the signature brisket to sweets and home goods.
Some of the food offered at Buc-ee's Athens
"You better believe that when it comes to smoking, it's low and slow," Pauly said.
The store, right off Interstate 65, also has a car wash and 120 gas pumps.
"Everyone has been very excited for it, because it's such a big icon to have around," Daniel Necise of Springfield, Virginia, said.
Buc-ee's is currently working to open another Alabama location in Auburn. It is scheduled to open in Spring 2023.
Buc-ee's BBQ Director Randy Pauly, far left, his Athens meat-smoking crew and Â鶹Çø Reporter Luke Hajdasz, center front, at the grand opening of Buc-ee's Athens.
