Officials at Sheetz, a 24-hour regional convenience store and gas station, last week confirmed plans to open the first Michigan facility in Romulus, about 4 miles from Metro Detroit Airport. The new store will be at 33380 Wick Road just north of Interstate 94, officials announced last week. The stores are owned by a private company based in Altoona, PA. A tentative opening date was speculated as late fall of next year.
The restaurant menu offerings have a large and loyal following at other locations across the country with fans calling themselves “Sheetz Freakz.” The stores are open 24-hours and are popular for menu items including breakfast sandwiches, sliders, pizza, fried pickle chips, chips, fries and mozzarella cheese sticks. The 681 other Sheetz stores in several states feature self-service kiosks and have both indoor and outdoor seating. The store also sells gasoline and, where possible, has electric charging and car washes, according to the company website.
“Our goal is to continue working collaboratively with city officials in Romulus to open this location in the latter part of 2024,” Brian Dinges, assistant vice president of real estate at Sheetz, said in an emailed statement. “Our goal is to offer Michigan residents the ultimate one-stop shop to fuel their bodies and their vehicles.”
Sheetz directors consider several variables when selecting a site for a store location, Dinges noted. “We find that we can best serve our customers on approximately 2 acres. However, our model allows us to flex the size of our site to accommodate lots as small as 1.5 acres.”
A typical Sheetz site includes a 6,000-square-foot building, 35-40 parking spaces, a drive-thru and six or eight fueling spots, according to the website. Plans for the Romulus store, however, include a 7,261 square-foot fuel station and a 6,879-square-foot restaurant/convenience store. The project was submitted to Romulus officials for a site-plan review on June 21.
Sheetz, founded in 1952, has locations in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia.
