PHILADELPHIA-Everybody loves it when a local kid makes it big. We take pride in the fact that our region spawned such talent, having pride that somehow, some way, our local way of life was responsible for their success.

While Wawa Food Markets are certainly not actual offspring of Philadelphia proper, the entire Delaware Valley has treated the stores as our progeny regardless. “Wawa,” a Native American word for the Canada Goose which serves as an emblem on its logo, has been a local favorite for coffee, sandwiches and convenience store products since the first store’s inception in 1964. Wawa has always called their sandwiches hoagies, and not subs or heros, winning the acclaim and loyalty of Philadelphians.

To the locals, it has become as much a part of the region as cheesesteaks and soft pretzels. There are even Facebook Pages dedicated to Wawa with over half a million fans. But now, the locals are turning. It seems as though Wawa, once thought of as a burgeoning entrepreneurial dairy farm business, has become the proverbial 400 pound gorilla who evokes shades of "Walmart-like" dominance.