Look out Royal Farms. Step aside Highs and Wawa. There’s a new gas and convenience chain coming to Baltimore County.

Sheetz plans to open Thursday in Middle River, its first location in the county as the Altoona, Pennsylvania-based chain continues its expansion throughout the mid-Atlantic.

Before now, its closest stores to Baltimore, the longtime home of Royal Farms, were in Joppatowne and Westminster.

Sheetz, operator of more than 750 mid-Atlantic stores, joins a larger push by convenience chains to expand in the region as consumers increasingly view the stores as more than a gas station and last resort to grab breakfast, lunch or dinner. Some people even have go-to meal favorites among the brands.

Known for made-to-order sandwiches and salads, Sheetz now has 36 stores in the state, mostly in Western Maryland. The new store/gas station at 10499 Campbell Blvd., is part of a further expansion in the state. Another location is planned off Route 22 in Bel Air.

Wawa, which runs more than 1,060 locations, took on the more deeply entrenched Royal Farms in 2019 when it began an aggressive expansion in Maryland, with a focus on Baltimore County and a new store in Canton. That year, the Wawa, Pennsylvania-based chain also announced a multi-year agreement with the Ravens to make Wawa the team’s “official hoagie.” It now has 59 Maryland stores.

Last month, Wawa launched a marketing campaign featuring Jason Kelce, the recently retired Philadelphia Eagles center, and his wife, Kylie.

Royal Farms, which traces its roots to Baltimore’s Cloverland Dairy and has grown from a single “milk” store in 1959 to 255 stores, 142 in Maryland, also has NFL stars pitching its offerings.

It has a long marketing relationship with Ravens kicker Justin Tucker, who in 2015 performed opera in a tribute to Royal Farms’ coffee, singing, “two sugars and some cream, that is my dream.”

A recent commercial shows Tucker running errands for his wife, stopping at Royal Farms for gas, a car wash and the chain’s “famous” fried chicken.

“I can do it all, right here,” Tucker says.