Is The Toot’n Totum Reign Over In Amarillo? These Places Say Yes.

When I moved to Amarillo four years ago, I was told there were two convenience stores in the city and that was it. It was Toot'n Totum and Pak-A-Sak. Nothing else mattered, nothing else existed. Sure, there's a CEFCO here and there, but they aren't prominent in the city.

I had heard so much about Toot'n Totum it was crazy, so I assumed that was THE spot to go. With how many locations they had around the city, I could see why.

Now, I'm not here to get in a debate as to who is better between the two. I have my preference between those two, but that's for a different day and many different reasons. What I want to focus on is how the stronghold seems to be getting challenged at the moment.

And it looks like Toot'n Totum is finding out that given another option, they don't need a store on literally every corner of the city. Let's take a look at what's happened in the last couple of years in the convenience store battles.

The Station/Curby's

This was the first one to truly challenge Toot'n Totum and Pak-A-Sak. Nestled in out there on McCormick, they offered up a full kitchen that ripped out some incredible burritos and different food items.

They also had an amazing coffee setup that you couldn't find in any convenience store in the city at the time. The Station has since been bought out and gone through a name change, Curby's.

QuikTrip

I had my first encounter with a QuikTrip when I lived in Tulsa for a little over a year. It was essentially the Toot'n Totum of Oklahoma, but man oh man, what a great convenience store. It was the one thing I missed from Oklahoma (no offense).

Then boom, out of nowhere this past year, two of them pop up in Amarillo. One of those? Right across the street from a Toot'n Totum, and it knocked it right out of business within a year. They simply offered things Toot'n Totum didn't, including a kitchen where you can order up certain foods made to order.

Buc-ee's

Ok, this one is a bit unfair, I agree. However, we can't look past it, right? I mean, TECHNICALLY Buc-ee's is a convenience store, but it's also a convenience store that would obliterate ANY convenience store within a mile radius.

I think everyone in Amarillo has been to Buc-ee's at this point, so I don't need to delve too deep into it, but the full kitchen they have is better than a fast food restaurant, and their snacks are simply legendary.

Circle K

The latest entrant to the convenience store battle in Amarillo, these locations have been popping up faster than weeds in the spring. I remember Circle K from living in Arizona as a kid. They had these slushes I used to get, all because they used to have cardboard coins of baseball players attached to the bottom of the cup that I liked to collect.

Now, Circle K has infiltrated the city with three locations already, and a fourth is getting set to open its doors soon. Let the battle rage on.