Deckhead (Subtitle): Residents of Ruston won’t have to travel far for their brisket sandwiches.
By Ineye Komonibo,
According to The Chron news outlet, after complications delayed a previously-announced travel center three hours away, a Louisiana city will get its beaver nuggets and brisket sandwiches very soon.
After complications delayed a previously-announced travel center three hours away, a Louisiana city will get its beaver nuggets and brisket sandwiches very soon.
Six years into its multi-state expansion plan, Buc-ee’s is making good on its promise to spread throughout the country. Residents and travelers of this Southern state will soon get their hands on the travel center’s famous brisket sandwich.
Ruston, Louisiana is among the latest cities to be welcomed into the Buc-ee’s portfolio, marking the travel brand’s first foray into the state. Located on Tarbutton Road near I-20, just east of neighboring Shreveport, Ruston will be the home of a sprawling 74,000-square-foot store complete with 120 fueling spots for drivers.
“Ruston is a smart-growth town with a big attitude and the perfect location for us in NW Louisiana,” said Stan Beard, Buc-ee’s director of real estate and development, in a press release. “That is a great combination for us, and we are honored to be here.”
Work will soon begin on the Ruston location as soon as this month. An Oct. 24 groundbreaking ceremony attended by Mayor Ronny Walker and city council members has already been scheduled, with an anticipated early 2027 opening.
It’s an exciting update for Buc-ee’s and Lousianians alike, specifically after plans for a previous Louisiana Buc-ee’s were met with some challenges that led to delays. A travel center three hours away in Lafayette was announced late last year, expected to cost $82 million and bring in $1.5 million in local sales tax. However, the Lafayette location’s opening was pushed back to 2028 when unforeseen issues including heavy summer rains stalled construction on the store significantly.
Still, there has been some movement on the construction; recent drone footage captured and shared in a Facebook group called Discover Lafayette showed that land clearing on the property has been initiated.
Despite slow starts and a number of controversies complicating some of its expansion plans, Buc-ee’s is juggling several other fast approaching groundbreakings, including one in Murfreesboro, Tennessee (Oct. 14) and another in Kansas City, Kansas (Oct. 16). The travel center now boasts 54 active locations in the U.S, with more than a dozen new locations in various stages of planning, permitting, or construction.
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Buc-ees Travel Center