SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) – Kwik Star, the popular Midwest gas station, will be coming to Madison this year, marking the 12th location in South Dakota.
Kwik Star, also known as Kwik Trip in other states, opened five locations in the state for 2024, including three more in Sioux Falls, one in Harrisburg and one in Brookings, which just opened Dec. 27. By the end of 2025, the Madison location will be running.
“That’s the only new store for South Dakota for 2025,” said John McHugh, Kwik Trip’s Vice President of External Affairs.
The new gas station is set to go on the corner of Washington Avenue and Highway 34, kitty-corner to the long-time, locally owned gas station, Classic Corner.
The owners of Classic Corner took to social media to encourage people to continue supporting local businesses and promised to continue reinvesting in their community.
“Although we feel strongly that a free market produces the best results, we also believe that money spent locally by customers at locally owned businesses goes directly back to the community at a higher rate than an out-of-state company,” the Facebook post from April said.
KELOLAND News called to get an updated comment about the new gas station coming in, but owner Shannon Kauffman directed us back to the social media post.
The Wisconsin-based gas station offers not only gas, but hot meals, coffee, produce, bakery items and dairy products. They have nearly 900 locations across six states. Besides Wisconsin and South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Michigan and Illinois have either a Kwik Trip or Kwik Star.
Since opening in 1960, Kwik Trip has gained somewhat of a cult following. The Kwik Trip Enthusiasts Club on Facebook has over 32,000 members and the Wisconsin-specific group has over 147,000 members.
Kwik Trip expanded into South Dakota after receiving multiple requests from fans for a store in Sioux Falls.
“People travel along the interstate and when they cross the border from Minnesota and South Dakota they say, ‘We would love to see some Kwik Trips up this way,’” McHugh said.
He added that the gas station chain won’t expand outside of the Midwest because 80% of their product– including dairy, produce and baked goods– comes from their headquarters in La Crosse, Wisconsin.
“Once we get out of the Midwest, there’s no way that we can do daily distribution,” he said.
Most of the company’s expansion efforts this year will be focused on North Dakota. The first two Kwik Trip locations for the state will open in Fargo later this year.
