Wawa stores offering free coffee Thursday to celebate anniversary

CENTER CITY (WPVI) -- There is a free cup of coffee waiting for you at your local Wawa Thursday.

The convenience store chain is giving away free coffee all day long to mark the 51st anniversary of its opening.

The first Wawa store opened on April 16, 1964 in Folsom, Delaware County.

The company says from here on out it will celebrate every April 16th as Wawa Day.

The company released the following statement:

To mark the magnitude of the day this April 16, 2015, Wawa will be giving away more than 1.5 million cups of coffee through free coffee to all customers, chain-wide, announcing $1 million from the Wawa Foundation's first quarter grant distributions, and celebrating millions of magical customer moments displayed on in-store, digital signage at all Wawa stores.

During Wawa Day, Wawa will also be hosting six celebrations throughout its six-state operating area. Wawa's Pennsylvania Wawa Day Celebration will be held in Philadelphia at its 17th and Arch store. Mayor Nutter will be on hand to kick-off the day, reading an official Wawa Day proclamation....

"It's a way for our associates to say, 'Thank you!' to our best customers who come in every day," Wawa CEO Chris Gheysens told Action News.

The line was out the door Thursday morning at the Wawa at 17th and Arch Streets in Center City Philadelphia.

Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter was on hand to congratulate the company.

"I wander down during my breaks to get some coffee every day," said Nick Mutignami of South Philadelphia. "It's more crowded than usual."

"It's not as bad as I thought it was going to be," said Gayla Pinkney of North Philadelphia. "You can tell by all the people getting free coffee. They must like it."

"Everybody is talking about it," said Trina Gordy of Chester, Pa. "I love the Wawa coffee."