At the broad intersection of Allerton Avenue and Boston Road is a large BP gas station, which officially welcomed the very first ampm convenience store to the East Coast with a nothing short of a fun-filled grand opening celebration this weekend.
Ampm has all the charm of a road trip rest stop and the familiarity of a 7-Eleven. Upon entry, one feels like a kid in a candy store. The interior shines with cleanliness and neatness and beams with “Too Much Good Stuff,” as their slogan states. Dead center is a case of donuts, cookies, jelly rolls and other sweet treats.
There are stuffed animals for sale, candies, household cleaners, a sunglass rack and even a lotto vending machine — it’s a one-stop shop.
The space is wide and clean, with a focus on freshness.
“We serve breakfast all day, but it’s really about hot dogs, breakfast sandwiches and burgers,” said Michael Donahoo, ampm’s East Coast vice president of mobility and convenience.
The seventh-largest convenience store chain in the U.S., Donahoo went on to explain ampm’s freshness guarantee with excitement. The food items are prepared on premises and the consumer knows exactly when. Like the spicy chicken sandwich wrapper that reads, “Made at 2:07 p.m.” and “Enjoy by 5:07 p.m.”
If the food is not consumed within that window, it gets replaced by fresh items. The food waste is high at the moment — the store actually opened on July 28 — but Donahoo hopes that as people become familiar with the business model, that waste will significantly plummet.
They even have their own proprietary coffee and one can choose from drip to fresh ground — for the same price.
Established in Southern California in 1978 and then bought out by a subsidiary of BP in 2000, ampm locations are owned and operated by the BP conglomerate and open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“We never close,” said Stanley Pernell, East Coast regional manager for ampm.
Globally, BP is looking to increase its convenience sites from around 2,000 today to more than 3,000 by 2030.
In the U.S., the convenience chain has a long history on the West Coast — with more than 1,000 locations — and first began expanding to the East Coast in the 2000s. But by 2012, given several factors of finance and politics, ampm was divested from all locations east of the Rockies.
“It just wasn’t the right time,” Donahoo told the Bronx Times.
The chain is now back with four new locations to roll out on the East Coast, all of which will be situated in New York City along with a donation of two $2500 checks. One for Bronx Council on the Arts and one for City Harvest. “Thank you to everybody for coming out here today . . . I hope you enjoy this store as much as we do,” said Debbi Hoffa, vice president of Convenience America at BP.
The first store at 824 Allerton Ave. held its official grand opening this weekend. Friday marked the first day of celebrations with $0.25 slushies, or as the brand calls them “Fizz Freezes.”
“Did you say twenty five cents? That’s crazy,” said a woman who was paying for her Fizz Freeze, unaware of the day’s promotion. She walked out of ampm happily stunned while sipping her blue concoction.
Saturday was the day of fanfare with festivities from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Pepsi, Red Bull, Arizona iced tea and others will be on-hand with giveaways for attendees. There were also Instagram influencers like Bronx skateboarder @h0lymel and famous chugger @badlandsbooker.
Radio station WBLS was on hand to help give away $10,000 worth of free gas in the form of gift cards — a prime attraction with the inflation-related high cost of fuel.
Saturday’s festivities also showcased a mural unveiling by renowned graphic designer, illustrator and founder of Super Fresh Design, Andrea von Bujdoss. Von Bujdoss is a native New Yorker with an eye for bold lines and vibrant colors. Her murals bring life to drab walls and imbue neighborhoods with oomph.
Given the car and foot traffic, population density, the sprawling intersection and the demographics, it seems ampm has found a new home.
“This is a great location,” said Donahoo.
Reach ET Rodriguez at elbatamarar@gmail.com. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes
