Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect the Ruston City Council vote
The gospel of the spotless bathroom and the jerky bar is spreading, as it appears that Buc-ee’s’ takeover of the southern U.S. will continue. The beaver nugget-slinging chain of rest stops looks to expand into Louisiana with a new location in the western portion of the state.
On Monday, January 9, officials in Ruston, Louisiana, east of Shreveport in the northwest corner of the state, passed a tax incentive package and cooperative endeavor agreement for a store on Interstate 20. It will be the first Buc-ee’s in the state of Louisiana.
“We’ve been working on this for two and a half years,” Ruston Mayor Ronny Walker said in an interview with USA Today Network. “It will be a huge boost to our economy.”
Construction will commence in 2023, with the Ruston store set to open sometime in 2025.
“We’re delighted to say that this is the first huge step in bringing Buc-ee’s to Ruston,” Buc-ee’s Director of Real Estate told the Shreveport Times. “We’re excited to be here.”
In 2016, Buc-ee’s announced plans for a store in Baton Rouge off Interstate 12. The following year, however, the company balked and instead built a store in Alabama.
According to a report in the Shreveport Times, Buc-ee’s is in negotiations to purchase land at the Tarbutton Exchange on I-20, a $25 million project completed in 2019.
Ruston City Council’s vote came during Monday’s 5:30 p.m. meeting. The potential agreement is between the city of Ruston and CSMS Management LLC, which the Shreveport Times reports is “affiliated with the Buc-ee’s development.” On Tuesday, January 10, the Lincoln Parish Police Jury and the Lincoln Parish School Board will also hold votes on the measure.
Buc-ee’s, which opened its first store in Lake Jackson in 1982, currently has 34 locations in the state. It has recently expanded to Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Kentucky, and Tennessee. According to the company’s website, Buc-ee’s is also expanding to Missouri and Colorado, with new stores planned for 2024.