Wawa vs. Sheetz: Fast-Food Chains Mark Their Own Territories

English: Interior of a Super Sheetz in Altoona, PA. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Pennsylvania divides a few ways: Phillies vs. Pirates. Democratic ex-factory towns vs. Republican ex-farming townships. Nittany Lions fans vs. everyone else.

And Wawa vs. Sheetz – though that might be the least bitter rivalry:  The state’s two big gas-and-milk, Cokes-and-smokes, Tastykakes-and-store-built sandwich chains try not to fight.  They’re not like Ford vs. GM. Instead, they have mostly drawn lines and split the land between them.  Like Comcast and TimeWarner Cable.

Which you prefer depends on where you were raised:

Wawa is Philly and the Shore from Jersey to Virginia Beach.  Also Florida, since last year.

Sheetz is Pittsburgh and the valley highways below the green ridges, all the way to Greensboro, N.C.

English: Wawa gas station located along Pennsylvania Route 611 (Easton Road) in Horsham, Pennsylvania. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Read more:  http://www.philly.com/philly/business/20130331_Wawa_vs__Sheetz__Fast-food_chains_mark_their_own_territories.html

Wawa’s New Boss Pledges A Bread Oven In Every Store: Update

UPDATE:  After readers asked about changes to Wawa’s cold-cuts prep, spokeswoman Lori Bruce says: “We have been phasing out slicers for a few years now; we currently have them in about 100 stores. ” Most stores now use pre-sliced meats and cheeses “received fresh… on a daily basis” through Wawa’s South Jersey-based supplpy chain (there’s a different chain for Florida stores) from Berks, Giordano’s, and other cold-cut houses; Dietz and Watson has not been a supplier.

EARLIER:  Chris Gheysens, who’s been Wawa’s CEO since New Year’s Day, lives in South Jersey and works at company HQ in Delaware County when he’s not running around 600 -plus Wawa stores from North Jersey to Orlando.

So he doesn’t get downtown much, Gheysens admitted to the Irish American Business Chamber & Network (corrected) at its Pyramid Club luncheon today.  “You know how it is.  I’ve got four kids.  So not a dollar on me” when he had to feed a meter this morning, he said.

Read more: http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/inq-phillydeals/Wawas-new-boss-pledges-a-bakery-in-every-store.html#ixzz2IIF8yFhO
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Luzerne, Lackawanna, Columbia, Sullivan and Wyoming Counties – Highest Incidence Of Heart Disease Death In PA

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The five-county region of Luzerne, Lackawanna, Columbia, Sullivan and Wyoming counties has the highest incidence of heart disease death in Pennsylvania, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

These counties are the only ones in the state falling into the CDC’s most distressing category, showing 455 to 651 of every 100,000 deaths in people over age 35 are a direct result of heart disease.

Dr. Thomas Isaacson, chief of cardiology at Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center’s Richard and Marion Pearsall Heart Hospital in Plains Township, said this area has a high rate of heart disease due to a number of risk factors here, especially smoking.

“We know smoking has a big impact on this,” Isaacson said. “We have a high prevalence of smoking in our communities.

Read more: http://thedailyreview.com/news/area-counties-have-highest-rate-of-heart-disease-in-state-1.1261599

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Metropolitan Area Ranks Second Highest In Nation For Smokers

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According to The Daily Beast, a news website, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Metro Area has the second highest percentage of smokers in the United States.  23.5% of area residents smoke 16.8 cigarettes a day.  One pack contains twenty cigarettes. 

Only Tulsa, Oklahoma has a higher percentage of smokers than Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.  Memphis, Tennessee ranked third.  Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania ranked 14^th.  No other Pennsylvania metropolitan areas made the top 30.

To see the full story and the Top 30 list, click here:

http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2011-01-03/30-cities-with-worst-smoking-problems-from-memphis-to-honolulu/