16 July 2nd - July 8th, 2026 phoenixnewtimes.com PHOENIX NEW TIMES | NEWS | FEATURE | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & CULTURE | MUSIC | CONCERTS | CANNABIS | And say what you will about Buc-ee’s, but the customer service is top-notch, as is the base pay for entry-level positions. A veritable army of staff mill about in coordi- nated movements, refilling refrigerated shelves with banana pudding and parfaits, while another squadron presses flour torti- llas without stopping: ready, aim, flour, before handing them off to the brisket station, where they will be used for break- fast tacos. One employee has the Sisyphian task of refilling the front endcaps of Beaver Nuggets, a caramel-flavored air-puffed cornmeal confection that, when bitten into, punishes the molars with a gas-to- solid chemical breakdown that hints strongly at regret, with a slight Corn Pop cereal finish. They are incredibly popular, but confounding. It seems impossible to imagine someone eating a handful, much less a whole bag, but the poor woman cannot seem to keep up with the demand. Along the back wall, a trifecta of stations seems to lead logically into one another. The iced coffees, teas and soft drinks give Buc-ee-goers a much-needed jolt of caffeine, adjacent to the Wall of Jerky, where dried meat connoisseurs can spend hours deliberating over 26 types. After the coffee-jerky combo, it’s prob- ably a good idea to at least step foot into the legendary bathrooms. It is telling that a company can make millions off the seem- ingly humane and necessary concept of having access to clean, functional toilets on the open road in America, but such is the state of things that this is considered a luxury experience. And yes, they are clean, and high-tech, with lights shining under the door that let you know when a stall is occupied. Red supposedly saves an awkward knock, and green gives you the go-ahead that all systems are ready to roll. In reality, the lights also serve as data collection through their patented “Tooshlight” system, mapping out customer bathroom habits for the beaver to analyze and optimize for future experiences. While the bathrooms may be the second-most bragged about feature of any Buc-ee’s conversion speech to the uniniti- ated, the crown jewel seems to rest in the literal heart of the store: the splash zone, officially known as the Texas Round Up. Here at the center of the shopping plaza lies a circular cutting station where resi- dent “pitmasters” (more like glorified meat cutters, as none of the brisket or pork is smoked in-house, but rather at a central processing station in Texas and shipped out daily), hoist onyx slabs of barked, smoked beef in front of hungry crowds. The beef-holder, blade at the ready, yells, “FRESH BRISKET ON THE BOARD!” and the crowd serves as call-and-response, echoing back the chant before the 12 to 14 pound sacrificial slab is rendered into flat and point, then chopped finely with double- handled chopping blades and doused in copious amounts of barbecue sauce. From there, the brisket is parcelled into various vessels for consumption: breakfast tacos and burritos, and later in the day, sandwiches. Pitmaster Randy Pauly, who holds an impressive pedigree as a former firefighter turned barbecue Grand Champion and Food Network star, is the mastermind and ring- leader of this meat circus. Truth be told, his enthusiasm is infectious and he seems genu- inely excited by both the crowd and his gig, providing a Texas barbecue experience to the masses. He is quick to differentiate between what Buc-ee’s is going for and what you might see at a local level. “The regional aspect, it is the best part about barbecue, right?” Pauly asks. “You’ve got to realize, barbecue is blood- lines, barbecue is generations, barbecue is what you can get your hands on. So these local spots can get woods we can’t get. They can get flavors that we can’t get, and that’s different from ours. That’s why we say ‘Texas Barbecue’, it’s one of those things where we want to be specific. We are not coming in trying to be what you are, and we want you to support the local spots, and the local barbecue here is phenomenal,” Pauly asserts. Dedicated fan Jarvis Johnson shows off his Buc-ee’s tattoo, which he got three hours before getting in line. (Zach Oden) >> p 17 Beaver Believers from p 14
