Another day, another opening of a gas station/convenience store by a company with a well-known brand and loyal following that is intent on making inroads into Colorado.
QuikTrip Corp., based in Tulsa, Okla., officially marked the opening of its second Denver store Wednesday by inviting community members and nonprofits the company works with to a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The store at 6477 E. Evans Ave. is the 11th QuikTrip built in Colorado since 2022.
The celebration of the store’s opening came two days after Texas-based Buc-ee’s opened its first travel center in Colorado. The Buc-ee’s store opened Monday in Johnstown at the corner of Interstate 25 and Colorado 60.
“We heard about that, and we were like, “Uh oh, they open this week, too,’ ” said Aisha Jefferson, QuikTrip’s corporate communications manager.
The new QuikTrip at East Evans Avenue and South Monaco Street Parkway opens to the public at 7 a.m. Friday.
Jefferson welcomed members of the community to the store before employees and nonprofit partners went outside to cut the ribbon.
“This store signifies more than just a new location for us. It represents our dedication to our customers and the community,” Jefferson said.
Since its founding in 1958, QuikTrip has grown to a more than $11 billion company with 1,000 stores in 17 states. The privately held company employs 232 people in Colorado and a total of approximately 31,000 across the country.
Jefferson said the company donates 5% of its net profits to charitable organizations in communities where it has stores.
Elle Janc with Mile High United Way spoke about the organization’s partnership with QuikTrip. She said more than half of the company’s Colorado workforce contributes to the nonprofit and QuikTrip matches their donations, so far raising nearly $50,000.
“These donations go to support critical programs and services that Mile High United Way provides in metro Denver,” Janc said.
Jefferson said QuikTrip plans to open five more stores this year in Colorado. The company is attracted to the state’s growth and energy, she said.
“It’s the place to move now,” Jefferson said. “It’s just growing tremendously.”
Jefferson pointed to the constant traffic on East Evans Avenue.
“Our real estate guys do an awesome job of pinpointing the right location every time. They do a lot of detailed research,” Jefferson said. “They do their homework and ensure that every location is the right spot for our customers and the communities we want to be in.
“And QuikTrip makes sure that at every location we have employees in our stores that look like our communities. That’s very important to us,” Jefferson said.
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Like with Buc-ee’s, QuikTrip fans have their favorite foods and snacks. Jefferson said the store’s hot dogs are best sellers. QuikTrip, QT to aficionados, is a good place for pizza, according to Clark.com, a financial tip site.
The website also gave the company kudos for clean bathrooms, its top-tier gasoline and giving back to the community.
Jefferson said the breakfast pizza, with sausage, bacon and cheese, breakfast tacos, hardwood smoked barbecue sandwiches, cold brew coffee and milkshakes are also popular. The Denver store will offer a full-service kitchen with fresh, made-to-order meals, as well as fresh food delivered daily through its bakeries and commissaries.
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