SALEM, Va. (WFXR) - Wawa has called Virginia home for almost 30 years, but the franchise has yet to arrive in Southwest Virginia.

That's set to change, as the new Wawa in Salem welcomed people inside for the first time.

"Customers that live west would happen to be traveling, or they would be talking to us, or we would hear from them as they reached out to us, just for that desire for us to come westward," Kim Dowgielewicz, the director of store operations for Wawa across Virginia, said. "We finally feel like we're being able to reach the core market across Virginia."

A group of people got to experience the "Taste of Wawa." They got a look inside the store and got to sample a bunch of the menu items.

They even got a special visit from the company mascot, Wally the Goose.

"I usually don't win anything when I post stuff on Facebook, but then I saw an invitation, and I was excited to be able to come," Salem resident Gail Smith said. "My dad did mystery shoppers until he was 90 at Wawa, and I've heard the food is delicious, and it's delicious today, and everyone was great."

 Wawa expands in Virginia with a new store in Lynchburg 

City officials stopped by, including Salem Mayor Renée Turk.

She was invited to make the store's honorary first hoagie.

"I was incredibly impressed with Mayor Turk, not only with her assembly of it, but just her excitement around it," Dowgielewicz said. "It was thrilling that she was here to support and be able to build that first hoagie for us."

Wawa also celebrated its ongoing partnership with Feeding Southwest Virginia.

Director of Volunteer Services Randy Holden said Wawa has donated around $20,000 over the past two years to Feeding Southwest's children's programs.

"I want to say thank you to Wawa and the Wawa Foundation for supporting Feeding Southwest Virginia," Holden said. "We are grateful for your support for our children's feeding programs."

Wawa will officially open on Thursday at 8:00 a.m. Wawa also plans to open store locations in Daleville, Lynchburg and Roanoke within the next year.

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