Buc-ee, is that you? Store opening in Mexico has a familiar name and mascot
_fitted.png "A store is opening in Matamoros, Mexico, with a name and mascot that are very similar to famous Texas-based gas station chain Buc-ee’s.")
Just a stone’s throw south of the Texas border, someone or someones with a bold entrepreneurial spirit and no fear of lawyers is opening a store called BUK-II’S, social media posts show.
It’s an awfully similar name to Buc-ee’s, a much loved and ever-expanding gas station chain based in Texas. For those who have never been, Buc-ee’s is like a mall that also happens to sell reasonably priced gasoline and better than average brisket.
The Buk-ii’s store is opening in Matamoros, Mexico, according to a July 25 social media post.
Maybe the name is just a coincidence, you say. Well, turn your gaze to the left and right of the store’s double doors, analyze the creature painted there, encircled in yellow, sporting a red baseball cap.
Is that Buc-ee, beloved beaver mascot and patron saint of clean bathrooms?
No. It’s Buk-ii.
_fitted.png "Screenshot (3291)_fitted.png")
Pull up an image of Buc-ee for a side-by-side comparison — though you shouldn’t need one — and count the differences. It’s like someone was asked to paint a portrait of Buc-ee from memory while also misremembering him as some sort of weasel or maybe a stoat.
As one commenter said, roughly translated, “that beaver (looks) like he ate a lemon.”
Is this a relative? An impostor? Who are you, Buk-ii, and what’s your deal?
Buk-ii’s wants to sell groceries, and maybe some beer, Ramon Montelongo, who shared the image of Buk-ii on Facebook, told MYSA.com.
The store will be opening soon, likely in a matter of days, Montelongo told the outlet. He added that Buk-ii isn’t a beaver, he’s a gopher.
Go-phigure.
Buc-ee’s is aware of the matter and “will not stand as an idle spectator while others use without permission the intellectual property that Buc-ee’s has cultivated for decades,” Buc-ee’s told the news outlet.
Buc-ee’s has over 40 locations across the U.S., 34 of which are in Texas, according to the company’s website. The chain has been expanding outside the Lone Star state in recent years, opening locations in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina and Tennessee.
This story was originally published July 26, 2023 at 4:59 PM with the headline "Buc-ee, is that you? Store opening in Mexico has a familiar name and mascot."