Examining Kwik Trip's Unique Gas-Free Stores In Wisconsin

Kwik Trip has nearly 900 different convenience stores located in six different states. But these two Kwik Trips might be the most unique ever.

How Big Is Kwik Trip Today?

Kwik Trip is one of the most popular convenience stores in the upper Midwest these days. The familiar chain opened its first store in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, in 1965. Its corporate headquarters are located in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

Kwik Trip said as of February 2025, it operates 898 separate convenience stores, which are spread among six different states:

Wisconsin
Minnesota
Iowa
Illinois
South Dakota
Michigan

The company operates under the name Kwik Trip in Wisconsin and here in Minnesota, and as Kwik Star in Iowa and other states, to avoid confusion with similarly named chains. Its home state of Wisconsin has the most Kwik Trips, with 508 located in the Dairy State. There are currently around 217 Kwik Trips in Minnesota, with 152 in Iowa.

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The massive chain employs over 35,000 people, as well, and has its own bakery, kitchens, dairy, distribution, and transportation divisions. These allow Kwik Trip to produce many of the food items it serves, which are delivered to each local Kwik Trip store every day.

The Only Two Kwik Trips Without Gasoline

However, out of nearly 900 Kwik Trip locations, these two might be the most unique of all its stores. That's because these two Kwik Trips, located on Water Street in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and on Monroe Street in Madison, Wisconsin, are believed to be the only Kwik Trips that do *not* sell... gasoline!

Kwik Trip #1149 at 210 Water Street, Eau Claire, WI (Google Maps)

According to Kwik Trip's Wisconsin Store Locator, the Water Street location in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, is listed as 'no fuel.' And, you can see from the photo above that there are no familiar Kwik Trip white and red awnings or gas pumps at this location.

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Similarly, Kwik Trip store #268, located on Monroe Street in Madison, Wisconsin, is also notable for being the other Kwik Trip location that does *not* offer fuel services. Again, in the photo below, there are no familiar gas pumps here, either.

Kwik Trip #268 at 1421 Monroe Street, Madison, Wisconsin. (Google Maps)

Why These Gas-Free Kwik Trips Exist

While there's no official reason listed, I'm guessing the lack of fuel services at both of these Kwik Trips is because they're located near the campuses of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and the University of Wisconsin-Madison and cater mainly to college students, who likely walk or ride a bike or electric scooter.

Kwik Trip is constantly growing, so perhaps there will be other stores in the future that also won't offer fuel services. Either way, the number of Kwik Trip locations won't stay the same for long, as the chain is always growing. In fact, Kwik Trip said it opened around 30 new stores in 2024, with roughly 28 more planned for 2025.

That's the opposite of the following beloved chains, all of which have gone out of business and aren't around anymore in any location. Keep scrolling to see how many you remember!