When the City of Athens announced in June that a Twice Daily would be coming to town, many people took notice. Now the wait is finally over, and the state’s second location for the “high-end” convenience store and gas station is open to the public.

Representatives from Tri Star Energy LLC in Nashville, Tennessee, the parent company of Twice Daily, Athens city officials and members of the Greater Limestone County Chamber of Commerce gathered Wednesday for a ribbon cutting to commemorate the opening of the new business.

“We are very proud to be in Athens,” said Rick Hamilton, vice president of operations for Tri Star. “It is a privilege. Twice Daily is a high-quality convenience store that really hangs our hat on guest experience. We fell like that differentiates us from our competition.”

Twice Daily offers more than just fuel. The store boasts an integrated cafe featuring White Bison coffee as well as tea, breakfast sandwiches and baked goods. Twice Daily even has a drive-thru for the coffee shop that wraps around the back of the store.

“We have high-quality food on offer, and the White Bison is a beast of its own if you will,” Hamilton said. “We have artisan coffee and hand-crafted food, which is top notch.”

Hamilton said the main thing that sets Twice Daily apart from other convenience stores is the guest experience the business’s team members deliver, which he said is “second to none.”

As part of the ribbon cutting ceremony, Hamilton presented a $1,500 check to Athens Parks and Recreation Director Bert Bradford for the city’s Parks and Rec department, as well as a $1,500 to the Salvation Army of Decatur.

“We welcome Twice Daily,” said Mayor Ronnie Marks. “What a great facility and great asset to our community. People have been looking forward to it. We are so proud you have chosen Athens, Alabama, as a home for you.”

Twice Daily opened its first Alabama location in Madison about a year ago and decided to expand further.

“We looked in several surrounding states and municipalities,” Hamilton said. “We saw northern Alabama was really in position for someone like us to come in and be a part of the community. Our mission statement is to build lasting relationships by serving our community. We felt like Athens fit right into that.”

The new business is located near the intersection of U.S. 72 and Lindsay Lane.