 | |
 Sheetz store inFredericksburg, Virginia, 2016 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Convenience stores Fast food restaurant Gas stations Truck stops |
| Founded | 1952; 74 years ago (1952) |
| Headquarters | , United States |
Number of locations | 800+ (2025) |
Areas served | Maryland,Michigan,North Carolina,Ohio,Pennsylvania,Virginia andWest Virginia |
Key people | Travis R. Sheetz (president &CEO) Stanton R. Sheetz (chairman) Joseph S. Sheetz (vice chairman) |
| Products | Made-to-order foods, prepared foods, coffee, motor vehicle fuel, beer, and wine |
| Revenue |  US$7.2 billion (FY2021)[1] |
| Owner | Sheetz family and employees |
Number of employees | 25,000 (FY 2023)[2] |
| Website | sheetz |
Sheetz, Inc. is an American chain ofconvenience stores.[3] Its stores, which are open24/7 year-round, offer made-to-orderfast food, and most include agas station, while a few locations are full-scaletruck stops, offering showers and alaundromat.[4] The family-owned company has over 21,000 employees, and operates more than 800 company-owned stores located inWestern,Central, andNortheasternPennsylvania,West Virginia,Maryland,Ohio,Virginia,North Carolina, andMichigan as of 2025.[5][6]
Sheetz is the dominant convenience store chain in much of Pennsylvania, holding a virtual monopoly in its nativeAltoona, and a commanding share of thePittsburgh,Harrisburg, andWyoming Valley markets. It is noticeably absent fromPhiladelphia and theDelaware Valley, due to the presence of competitorWawa, leading toa fierce "rivalry" between the two chains among Pennsylvanians. However, the two companies themselves have a friendly relationship.[7][8]
Sheetz, Inc. was founded by G. Robert "Bob" Sheetz in 1952 when he purchased one of his father's five dairy stores located inAltoona. In 1961, Bob hired his brotherSteve to work part-time.
In 1963, the company opened its second store under the name "Sheetz Kwik Shopper." A third store followed in 1967. In 1969, Steve became general manager. The brothers planned to expand at the rate of one store per year with a target of seven stores by 1972. In 1972, the company expanded from seven to fourteen stores. One year later, Sheetz began selling gasoline and opened the first self-serve gas pumps in central Pennsylvania. The first Sheetz store outsidePennsylvania opened inMaryland in 1976.
In 1981, Bob retired and Steve became president. By 1983, Bob and Steve had opened 100 stores. At that time, the "Kwik Shopper" in "Sheetz Kwik Shopper" was removed.
R. "Stan" Sheetz, Bob's son, became president. Steve assumed the position of chairman of the board in 1995.[9] To this day, Sheetz maintains a family business with four family members serving on the executive committee.[needs update]
During the mid-1990s, the chain discontinued It! Cola, itsprivate-label brand ofsoft drinks. The drink was available in cans, bottles, and as a fountain drink, all of which were replaced by Pepsi products. The chain has both Pepsi andCoca-Cola in its fountains. In 1997, the company resumed store expansion, expanding intoOhio by opening a location in theYoungstown area alongI-80 inWeathersfield Township, just east ofGirard.[10] At that time, the company introduced touchscreen ordering. Shortly afterwards, the chain expanded intoNorth Carolina. In September 2001, Sheetz opened a distribution center inClaysburg, Pennsylvania.[11] In December 2004, Sheetz began offering their newMasterCard PayPass withRFID technology, and was one of the first retailers to accept such technology, ahead ofMcDonald's,Arby's,CVS, and rival7-Eleven, all of which introduced it nationally in 2014.
Sheetz becamePennsylvania's second retail chain to offerE85 ethanol-based fuel alternatives at select stations on July 10, 2006.[12][13] In 2008, Sheetz opened its first commissary, Sheetz Bros. Kitchen, to produce fresh sandwiches and bakery products sold at Sheetz locations.
Sheetz gained national attention in 2011 when it served as a major sponsor forMorgan Spurlock's filmPOM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold. Sheetz actively promoted the film in stores, including selling collector cups. Further, Altoona even temporarily changed its name to "POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, Pennsylvania" for $25,000. The name change was merely ceremonial, as theUnited States Board of Geographic Names did not legally change it, and theUnited States Postal Service did not recognize it.[14]
In October 2013, Stan Sheetz became chairman of the board of Sheetz, and his cousin Joseph S. "Joe" Sheetz became president and CEO.[15] Joe Sheetz remained president until 2018, when his brother Travis Sheetz was named president and chief operating officer, the first COO in the company’s history.[16] Joe Sheetz continued as CEO until January 2022, when he became executive vice chairman and Travis Sheetz assumed the roles of president and CEO.[16]
Published in November 2013,Kenneth Womack'sMade to Order: The Sheetz Story traces the company's history from its dairy-store origins through the present day. In 2014, Sheetz opened its second distribution center and kitchen facility in Burlington, North Carolina.[17] Sales for fiscal year 2018–2019 totaled $7.5 billion.[18] In 2019, Sheetz opened an IT tech center in Pittsburgh'sBakery Square complex, serving as a secondary headquarters for the company. They later expanded the space in 2023.[19] On December 19, 2019, Sheetz celebrated the opening of its 600th store inShaler Township, PA.[20]
In April 2024, theEqual Employment Opportunity Commission sued Sheetz. The EEOC alleged that Sheetz's usage of criminal background checks in screening job applicants resulted in a disproportionate impact on black, Native American, and multiracial applicants.[21][22] In June 2024, Sheetz entered a sponsorship deal with thePittsburgh Pirates, adding their logo to the sleeves of Pirates jerseys.[23] The Pirates'Double-A affiliate, theAltoona Curve, are in Sheetz's home city.
Sheetz announced in November 2019 that the chain would expand intoGreater Columbus starting in 2021,[24] with plans to open 60 locations in the region by 2025, more than doubling its existing store count in Ohio.[25] Upon Sheetz's arrival in the area with the opening of the first of two stores inDelaware, Ohio in April 2021, Travis Sheetz said that the company had considered expanding into Columbus as early as the late 1990s when the company first expanded intoNortheast Ohio, but decided to expand into North Carolina instead and only recently started expanding into Central Ohio due to manysocial media requests from transplants now living in the area asking for Sheetz.[26]
After the chain's successful expansion into the Columbus market in April 2022, Sheetz announced an expansion into theDayton, Ohio market beginning in 2024. The move will put Sheetz up head-to-head withCasey's for the first time, while also competing withSpeedway,Circle K, andUnited Dairy Farmers in the market.[27][28]
Sheetz announced in November 2022 that the chain would expand intoMichigan, its first new state in over 20 years,[29] beginning inMetro Detroit with a planned opening in 2025.[6] Sheetz then announced an expansion to nearbyGreater Toledo shortly thereafter.[30] On December 23, 2022, Sheetz announced an expansion intoWilmington, North Carolina to keep expanding south. The first Sheetz inMontgomery County, Maryland opened in August 2023 inGaithersburg.[31] That month, Sheetz announced they would open a new distribution center inFindlay, Ohio, to support expansions into new markets.[32] Sheetz opened its first Michigan location, inRomulus, Michigan, on August 27, 2024.[33] At around the same time, Sheetz opened its first location inGreater Cincinnati inFranklin, Ohio,[34] with its firstHamilton County location expected to be in suburbanBlue Ash.[35]
On August 28, 2025, Sheetz announced it would build a location at a site of a formerRite Aid (originallyThrift Drug and laterEckerd) in Pittsburgh'sBanksville neighborhood, marking Sheetz's first location in the Pittsburgh city limits since the 1990s.[36] On February 12, 2026, Sheetz opened its first location in thePhiladelphia metropolitan area, which has long been dominated by competitor convenience store chainWawa, inLimerick Township, Pennsylvania. The new location is across the street from a Wawa.[37][38]
In 1986, to boost lagging sales, Earl Springer, the manager of a Sheetz inWilliamsport, Maryland, pursued a food concept which became Sheetz's signatureMade To Order (MTO) line.[39] Beginning with onlysubmarine sandwiches, customers would fill out a small slip of paper, designating the ingredients they wanted on their sandwich, and in what quantity.[40][41] The order slip would be placed in a basket. The kitchen staff would prepare the sub according to the customer's order. Since that time, the menu expanded; by the 1990s, MTO was a sales leader for Sheetz.[42] Beginning in 1996, the company phased out the paper ordering system in favor of a picture-based touchscreen computer system.[39] Now common at many restaurants and gas stations worldwide, Sheetz was the first company to implement this very successful technology.
By 1999, Sheetz sold 10,000 MTO units a day. The company trains employees to function asbaristas for its newest brand, "Sheetz Bros. Coffeez," which offers higher-gradecoffee than the coffee typically found in convenience stores or other gas stations. With the introduction of the "Convenience Restaurant" concept, they have expanded their menu. Customers can purchase a wide variety of food items. The Espresso Bar, offering specialty coffees, is found at all locations. Sheetz regularly offers customers free coffee onChristmas Day andNew Year's Day.[43] During 2008–2009, Sheetz rolled out "MTGo!", a grab and go assortment of sandwiches, wraps, fruits, veggies, and other small items for the hurried customer. Along with "MTGo!", Sheetz unveiled "Shweetz Bakery" items, including donuts, fritters, and muffins made and delivered daily from the "Sheetz Bros. Kitchen" inClaysburg, Pennsylvania.
In 2003, Sheetz opened a concept store in the food court ofHanes Mall inWinston-Salem, North Carolina. This location offered Sheetz's made-to-order foods and fountain beverages in a more traditional fast food layout. It did not function as a convenience store.[44] The store has since closed.
In 2012, Sheetz again began contemplating "new concept", "fuel-free" locations.[45] In 2014, a plan was announced to open such a location on the campus ofWest Virginia University, inMorgantown, West Virginia.[46] The intent was to call it "Sheetz MTO Market." However, when opened in February 2015[47] the store was named "Sheetz Café" (although outdoor signage is the same as all other stores). In September 2015, another no-fuel café opened inState College, Pennsylvania, nearPennsylvania State University.[48][49] InIndiana, Pennsylvania, on the border of theIndiana University of Pennsylvania, a Sheetz which previously carried gasoline was torn down, and replaced with a no-fuel café that opened in August 2016.[50][51][52][53] A fourth such location opened in September 2017, inCharlottesville, Virginia, directly across the street from theUniversity of Virginia.[54][55][56]
In September 2019, Sheetz announced it would not renew their lease with WVU for the Morgantown location.[57][58][59] The company offered no explanation for the closure. In May 2021, Sheetz announced that the Charlottesville location, on the corner of UVA would close in June.[60][61]
Until June 8, 2016, Pennsylvania state law prohibited the sale of alcohol in convenience stores.Beer had to be sold at a beer distributor whileliquor had to be sold at state-operated stores titled "Wines & Spirits". In 2007, Sheetz tried to find aloophole around this by classifying part of one of their prototype stores in Altoona as arestaurant, which would permit alcohol sales.[62] The Malt Beverage Distributors Association of Pennsylvania protested, temporarily barring Sheetz from selling beer.[63] On appeal, Sheetz was awarded the license to sell beer and continues to do so today. On June 15, 2009, thePennsylvania Supreme Court permitted Sheetz to sell beer for takeout under the condition that it is also available to drink on site.[64] Sheetz successfully led the effort to change alcohol sales laws in Pennsylvania to allow sales in convenience and grocery stores, which became law when GovernorTom Wolf signed Act 39 into law on June 8, 2016.[65]
The Sheetz stores that sell gasoline offer three grades of gasoline (87, 89, and 93 Octane), and most stores offerdiesel. An increasing number of stores also provideE85 andE15, and some also offer ethanol-free gasoline. Some stores providekerosene at separate pumps.
Sheetz is known for high fuel sales, primarily driven by strong inside sales from their MTOs and other products that lead to sales at the pumps. In Pennsylvania, Sheetz is the market leader in all fuel sales at over 21%, ahead of all other competitor convenience store chains including those selling fuel fromBig Oil brands such asExxon,Sunoco, andBP, all of which have a major presence in Pennsylvania alongside Sheetz.[26] In addition to high fuel sales, Sheetz is known for high sales oftobacco products, often sellingcigarettes at state minimum prices. At one point, Sheetz sold its brand of cigarettes called Jack's (named and themed after thetype ofplaying card), but stopped offering them in the 2010s in their stores.[66]
