Wawa Gobbler: What To Know Before Ordering
As fall continues to roll on, foodies have a ton of seasonal items to get excited about. HuffPost reports that you can't miss caramel apples, pumpkin spice lattes, or apple cider donuts when the leaves start to change. Your favorite restaurants have tapped into these signature flavors, and chains like Starbucks have a Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew, while Dairy Queen now offers a seasonal Pecan Pie Blizzard.
While many associate dropping temperatures and orange foliage with pumpkins and spice, few can forget that fall means the return of the Wawa Gobbler. According to Chewboom, 2020 saw the return of the Gobbler, a Wawa Hoagie that comes stuffed with turkey, gravy, stuffing, and cranberry sauce between two buns. Last year, the chain announced the return of the sandwich late in November, but this year, it looks like you might get your hands on the hoagie sooner than expected. WOBM found that select Wawas across the country have started to sell this iconic sandwich again, and the only way to see if your location carries the product requires using the Wawa app to check the menu. If you have never tried a Gobbler before or just can't wait to get your hands on one again, make sure to remember a few key distinctions before you lock in your order.
What is a Wawa Gobbler?
In 2020, you could opt to get a few different kinds of Gobblers, per Chewboom. The classic Gobbler hoagie came loaded with everything you could ever want in a Thanksgiving leftover sandwich, including turkey, gravy, stuffing, and cranberry sauce on a roll. Some folks could also buy the sandwich with extra mashed potatoes or mashed sweet potatoes and garlic aioli added as an extra topping, while diners looking to cut some carbs could ditch the hoagie roll and order all of the above in a bowl. The sandwich comes in a hot or cold variety, but some employees recommend buying only the hot version, as the cold sandwich just features regular turkey lunch meat and might not stack up (via Reader's Digest).
According to Guilty Eats, Wawa has switched up variations on the item several times in the past. However, as the outlet stated, it recommended getting the item in its sandwich form for the complete experience.
How much does the Wawa Gobbler cost?
While you patiently wait for the Wawa Gobbler to make its return, you can still start saving up to grab the sandwich when it does launch. According to Insider, a Shortie version of the sandwich went for $5.19 back in 2017. Prices at the chain have since changed, and while you can't exactly know how much the sandwich should cost until it officially hits menus, you can generally assume a Gobbler Shortie should fall anywhere between $4.39 and $6.29, per Real Menu Prices.
These prices have fluctuated wildly in the past. Fast Food Post reports that 2019 saw Wawas carry the Gobbler for a suggested retail price of $3.99, but that price varied based on location. If you can't wait to get your hands on one of these turkey-stuffed meals, keep holding out and count your pennies as you await the nationwide launch and official price for this year's version of the meal.
How does the Wawa Gobbler taste?
If you love digging into crowd-pleasing sandwiches, you can't miss The Gobbler. Philadelphia Magazine found that the sandwich ranked as the very best hoagie you could get at Wawa and the reviewer's only complaint was that you can't get the sandwich year-round. Another reviewer loved the combination of the sweet and tangy cranberry sauce with the rich turkey and gravy, which helped elevate the item into an above-average offering, per Brand Eating. The same reviewer also noted that while the sandwich came loaded with gravy, the topping didn't disintegrate the bread and the offering held together, despite its massive load-out.
Meanwhile NJ.com found that the sandwich tastes like everything you want in a Thanksgiving leftover sandwich and comes in a competitively large portion size that threatens to spill everywhere. The massive size serves as a double-edged sword and might overpower anyone who wants a manageable sandwich. Additionally, they found the gravy to taste a bit too salty and overpowering in general. All in all, you can't go wrong with this sandwich if you crave a hearty meal between two buns and the sandwich has earned its reputation for a very good reason.
The history of the Wawa Gobbler
The Wawa Gobbler has come in a variety of forms since it first hit menus back in 2005, per NJ.com. Convenience Store News disputes the date of origin and claims that the Gobbler first hit the market back in 2006, but still agrees it quickly won over fans thanks to being available as a sandwich or a hot turkey bowl. The item started to inspire fans on Facebook as early as 2009, with many diners developing Gobbler menu hacks, like serving The Gobbler's key ingredients over a bed of hot macaroni and cheese.
Fast forward to 2019 and the item continues to hit menus in the fall, please crowds, and comes with the same toppings as it always has, per The Fast Food Post. According to WOBM, the item only makes it to menus for a brief portion of the year. In the past, you had to hunt down the item in-person at your local Wawa, but now, you can check the Wawa app to see if its available. Once you get into the app, just scroll down to the lunch and dinner section. From there, you can choose Hot Hoagies, and if you're lucky, the Hot Gobbler with mashed potatoes should pop up. If you can add the item to your cart, this means your Wawa now carries the sandwich. You can also do the same for The Gobbler Bowl by choosing Bowls, then Signature Recipes in the app.
The Wawa Gobbler's nutrition information
If you crave a Gobbler and want to know the nutritional content packed into each serving, first figure out if you want to enjoy the item in the form of a hoagie or bowl. According to Wawa, a Classic Hot Gobbler Hoagie on a roll with no cheese or other added toppings contains 1070 calories, 32 grams of fat, 2,870 milligrams of sodium, 155 grams of carbs, 38 grams of sugar, and 40 grams of protein. The sandwich also comes with 25% of a day's worth of calcium and 30% of your daily iron intake.
On the other hand, The Hot Turkey Gobbler Bowl with a full serving of stuffing contains a base amount of 750 calories, 32 grams of fat, 2,140 milligrams of sodium, 90 grams of carbohydrates, 28 grams of sugar, and 24 grams of protein. The bowl also contains 15% of your daily calcium and 20% of your iron. Both of these items can get customized to your heart's content, meaning that the nutritional content shifts depending on what you add or remove. Keep these facts in mind next time you grab this iconic sandwich and get ready to celebrate fall right.