![Wawa Sheetz 17](https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/58af4bb254905756258b6336-2250/wawa - sheetz-17.jpg)
Hollis Johnson
The $4.59 meatball hoagie is a classic Wawa option.
- Wawa, a gas-station chain with a devoted fan base, was voted America's favorite sandwich shop in a recent consumer survey.
- It beat out several nationwide sandwich chains to take the title.
- We visited Wawa recently, and the high quality and low cost surprised us.
Wawa, the Pennsylvania-based gas-station chain, has a loyal fan base.
Those in the know - usually those who have grown up in the Mid-Atlantic states where Wawa is most highly concentrated - worship Wawa. With over 790 locations, the chain is no small-time regional player, and its reputation of high-quality sandwiches and food precedes it.
In Market Force Information's annual consumer survey, Wawa beat out several major sandwich chains - including last year's winner, Firehouse Subs - to be crowned America's best sandwich shop. Nearly 11,500 people voted in the survey.
We recently visited the chain to see what all the fuss was about, and we were duly impressed - impressed enough to declare that it's officially better than its main regional rival, Sheetz.
But to be voted the No. 1 sandwich chain in America? That's a heavy mantle. But as the saying goes, the customer is always right - here's why consumers think Wawa is the No. 1 sandwich shop in the country: