QuikTrip, a convenience store chain that enjoys cult-like adoration in the league of Buc-ee’s, is quickly pumping up its presence in the San Antonio area. In 2017, QuikTrip unveiled a plan to blitz the Austin and San Antonio areas with a total of more than 100 stores. Today, nearly 70 of those stores are in the works.

Tulsa, Oklahoma-based QuikTrip already operates two in the Austin area and six stores in San Antonio, company spokesman Mike Thornbrugh says. The chain’s new location at 8850 Culebra Rd. in Alamo City recently became QuikTrip’s 800th store nationwide.

Currently, QuikTrip has 68 stores either open, under construction, or in the permitting process across the Central Texas region, according to Thornbrugh. In addition to the eight stores currently operating, another five are under construction in each market and another 50 stores are in the permitting process.

He says QuikTrip still is targeting at least 100 stores in total for Austin and San Antonio.

In the Austin area, QuikTrip stores are open now at 1911 N. Bell Blvd. in Cedar Park and 901 Louis Henna Blvd. in Round Rock. Those two locations opened earlier this year. Austin, Georgetown, and Liberty Hill are also in line to get QuikTrip stores, and more locations are on the way for Cedar Park and Round Rock.

Foodie website Delish ranks QuikTrip as the best convenience store operator in Kansas and Oklahoma, whereas Buc-ee’s gets the nod in Texas. While QuikTrip is new to the local market, it already has a strong foothold in the Lone Star State, primarily in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. For the most part, online reviewers around Texas heap huge praise on QuikTrip.

“We have perfected the secret sauce of hiring the best people and providing the best possible experience for our customers,” Steve Wilson, QuikTrip’s marketing director, says in a release. “Our employees make us QuikTrip. They live our brand each and every day, and their friendly relationship with our customers is genuine and special.”

Aside from earning kudos for its friendly employees, QuikTrip draws rave reviews for its menu of food. In-store QT Kitchens serve fresh, made-to-order food, such as pizza, premium specialty drinks, and frozen treats.

“We’ve heard from a number of enthusiastic QT fans in San Antonio and Austin familiar with us from their travels, urging us to expand there,” Chet Cadieux, QuikTrip’s chairman and CEO, said in a 2017 release. “Both San Antonio and Austin are really hot markets right now, and we cannot wait to join the exciting landscape in those two great communities. If you aren’t familiar with us yet, you are in for a real treat!”

Annual revenue at QuikTrip exceeds $11 billion, making it one of the country’s largest privately owned companies. It sits among the top 20 convenience store chains in the U.S. based on store count.