- One thing about the food world that has always mesmerized me is how we pledge an unwavering allegiance to some of our regional food brands.

Somehow these brands become part of the fabric of our identity.

They have a legendary reputation that stretches beyond their service area.

California's In-N-Out Burger, for instance, has created such a cult following that when they recently opened a new location in Colorado, the line was 14 hours long.

So why do people become so dedicated to their local food brands?

And how do these brands weave themselves into the tapestry of our collective consciousness?

The only way I know how to explore this topic, is to dive into one of my own regional devotions, because where I come from, in the Philadelphia region, it's in Wawa we trust.

(upbeat music) Wawa was founded by the Wood family, who for over 300 years has done a great job at adapting to the needs of the local community.

They started up a dairy business in 1902, setting up shop in a Pennsylvania town that would inspire the brand's name.

Wawa, the Ojibwa word for wild goose, which has been incorporated into the Wawa logo.

In 1964, they opened the Wawa Food Market.

And as the decades rolled on, Wawa became the pit-stop in our region, adding build to order foods, drinks, coffee, gas stations, and surcharge free ATM's, to their ever evolving list of services.

Today, they have over 850 stores in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Florida, and Washington DC.

They've built a really strong brand over the years, but that strong brand is fortified by the cult-like following they've also cultivated.

To understand Wawa's journey to becoming the worship brand that it is today, I've broken down their success into three components.

A formula I will be calling The Theory of Wawativity.

First, community.

WAWA has embedded themselves within the Philadelphia region's community.

They didn't need trending hashtags or influencers.

They went viral organically, and they did it through creating reliable services that fit seamlessly into the everyday routines of its customers.

But the big component to the community success is its regionality.

They're only in a few States, and this plays to our local pride.

Wawa is a shared experience among those who have been blessed enough to see the neon Wawa sign-light.

And we go out into the world to spread the gospel of Wawa's greatness.

Which brings me to my second point, ambassadorship.

We have been indoctrinated with the belief that despite the fact that other convenience stores exist, all throughout the country, they are nothing like Wawa.

Wawa doesn't need influencers, because we on our own accord, have become ambassadors of the brand.

We'll buy the merch, wear it around town, post pics of us with the Wawa logo emblazoned across our chests.

Not only does Wawa have tons of people across all social media platforms singing their praises, grammin their sammies, and tweeting about their Wawa love.

Wawa has made it into the national mainstream to serve as a nod to the Philadelphia region.

Wawa has appeared in the ABC sit-com The Goldbergs, and has been referenced in two Saturday Night Live skits, thanks to local legend, Tina Fey.

The sketch pits Bostonians with their Dunkin Donuts coffee, versus Philadelphians and their hoagies.

And it spoke to a primal part of the Wawa psyche, programming the third key component to building a cult following, rivalry.

Nothing pulls a community together like a good old fashioned rivalry.

We may come from completely different backgrounds, but when somebody dares to make the claim that Sheetz is superior to Wawa, we band together under the common cause to defend our beloved convenience store.

For it is our love of Wawa that unites us.

Now it's worth noting that Wawa nor Sheetz started this debate, we did.

We did it on our own.

That competitive edge makes the stakes feel a lot higher.

And this has been discussed before.

In 1911, the American Journal of Sociology published a paper by the University of Chicago's George E. Vincent, called "The Rivalry of Social Groups."

In this paper, he discusses the fundamental things that make people feel like they're part of a group, which are essentially a common interest.

Whether this be a past experience, like I grew up with Wawa.

A present crisis, and or a future purpose.

We must secure Wawa's dominance.

Vincent also discusses how rivalry can intensify these feelings of group consciousness.

In this paper, he says, "Conflict, competition, and rivalry," "are the chief causes which force human beings into groups."

He also says that, "It is rivalry," "which brings out a sense of teamwork" To have two of these components can be very powerful, but to have all three, the Wawa Trinity, well then you're a triple threat.

The theory of Wawativity, can be applied to any food brand, or anything that has the power of cult-like influence really.

Try it out for yourself.

Does this equation work for your regions local delicacies, and hometown food brands?

Tell us the results in the comments.