Buc-ee’s nibbles nuggets in Temple

TEMPLE – After months of construction, the Temple Buc-ee’s has opened. The 60,000-sf travel center is on the southeast corner of north Loop 363 and I-35. The 17-acre facility cost $16 million to construct.

To help offset the costs, the Temple Economic Development Corp. provided Buc-ee’s with a one-time grant of $500,000. As further incentive, the Temple City Council agreed to a plan that allows Buc-ee’s to keep 75 percent of the store’s sales tax revenue during the first ten years of operations.

It is the Texas chain’s 30th store, and the first located north of Austin.

Arch “Beaver” Aplin, founder and CEO, said in April 2013 that the business would provide 150 jobs and the starting hourly wage for most employees would be $11.50.