Michigan’s first Sheetz store opened Tuesday near Detroit Metropolitan Airport, drawing large crowds of customers who crowded the new location in Romulus and packed the parking lot.
Some of the first customers to arrive at the store at 8 a.m. described themselves as loyal Sheetz fans who fell in love with the brand and its 24-hour stores – including 24-hour kitchens and gas stations – while driving through the other six states where the family-owned, Altoona, Pennsylvania-based company has more than 740 stores.
President and CEO Travis Sheetz flew in for the opening and said he was impressed by the large turnout. Sheetz could ultimately open 50 to 60 stores in the Detroit metropolitan area, he said, and more in other parts of Michigan.
The Romulus store is located on a former vacant lot at 33380 Wick Road, off I-94 and adjacent to the newly constructed Romulus Trade Center.
“We felt there was a gap in the market for what we were offering because it was unique with gas, groceries and everything else,” Travis Sheetz said. “And we like that it’s a community-based area because that’s who we are. We’re very connected to our community – we have been from the beginning – and we want to go into an area that resonates in that way.”
The first customer in line was 19-year-old Robert Pawlowski of Southgate. He said he was so excited about Sheetz’s debut that he started waiting outside the store in his Chevrolet Sonic at 2:30 a.m.
“I wasn’t sure what the crowds would be like,” he explained, “and as you can see, it’s a madhouse. I’ve been a Sheetz fan since I was a kid. When I go to South Carolina with my family every summer, we always stop at Sheetz.”
He added: “They have everything you want, from Mexican food to chicken sandwiches to breakfast at any time of the day.”
Some of the most enthusiastic customers on Tuesday called themselves “Sheetz Freakz.”
That included Mickayla Selembo, 27, who said she grew up loving Sheetz stores in Pennsylvania. She moved to Holt, Michigan, just outside Lansing, three years ago and made the hour-plus drive to Romulus Tuesday morning to celebrate the business’s opening.
“I’m so glad that people in Michigan can now enjoy Sheetz and hopefully love it as much as I do,” Selembo said, “because it’s not overrated and it’s more than a gas station.”
What makes Sheetz different
Here are some of the attractions you’ll find at Michigan’s first Sheetz.
- A made-to-order kitchen that is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Customers can order on touch screens from a large menu of breakfast sandwiches, traditional sandwiches, pizza, burritos, “burgers” and more. There are also tables to sit and eat at.
- A 24-hour coffee house called SBC or Sheetz Brothers Coffee.
- A drive-in to the Sheetz kitchen.
- 12 car pumps and 10 truck pumps.
- Slushy machines with multiple flavors including cherry, watermelon and “ultra raspberry.”
- A milkshake machine with flavors like Oreo, Snickers, Reese’s Peanut Butter and Mint Chocolate Chip.
- A larger selection of sodas, iced teas and energy drinks than in a typical supermarket.
- Pre-packaged salads, sandwiches, fruit cups and more for those in a hurry and want something to go.
- A staples section with classics like loaves of bread, pancake batter, Rice-A-Roni and canned sugar.
- An outdoor “pet toilet area.”
Jamil Griffith, general manager of the new Romulus Sheetz, said the store will be staffed and open 24 hours a day, year-round, including Christmas. Starting pay will be $16 an hour, with night shift workers earning a dollar more per hour. Pay for supervisors will start at $20 an hour. The store is expected to eventually have about 40 employees.
“We usually offer free coffee at Christmas, so please come by on Christmas,” he said.
More: First Sheetz store in Michigan opens Tuesday with free coffee, lemonade and prizes
Sheetz is preparing to open additional stores in several cities in the Detroit metropolitan area, including Taylor, Warren, Macomb Township and Eastpointe.
Some of the proposed stores have faced opposition at public meetings, often from neighbors concerned about traffic and noise, as well as from owners of existing nearby businesses, such as gas stations.
Travis Sheetz said Tuesday that this type of resistance is not uncommon in states like Michigan, where Sheetz is completely new and many people may not yet be familiar with the stores and brand.
“That’s normal,” he says. “I started in real estate 30 years ago. When I went to meetings, people weren’t quite sure what you were about. They didn’t know you.”
“That’s what today is about,” he continued. “They’re going to get to know us – and I think that will relax them.”
Contact JC Reindl: 313-378-5460 or [email protected]. Follow him on X @Subscribe
