Buccees

Missy’s Grill sits off a tree-lined stretch near where Interstate 40 and I-85 merge, an unassuming diner advertised by no billboard, no lit sign — just ​“Missy’s Grill” in white plastic lettering. Del Ward stands in the parking lot, gesturing emphatically across the road at a cattle farm that was nearly turned into a gas station the size of a small mall. It would have been the first Buc-ee’s travel stop in North Carolina. Five years ago, Ward was on his way to Missy’s for a sandwich when he noticed a little sign about a zoning meeting. That’s how he learned about the proposed mega gas station in his tiny hometown.