A standing-room-only crowd of city leaders, public safety workers and cheering employees celebrated the opening of Suffolk’s first Wawa on Friday.

The 4,700-square-foot convenience store opened at 2920 Godwin Blvd. with music, free food and a frenzied hoagie-building contest between Suffolk firefighters and police officers. Wawa also opened new stores in Hampton and Chantilly with similar festivities on Friday.

“Today is a triple header for us,” said Michelle Rupert, director of operations for Wawa. The Pennsylvania-based company owns 79 convenience stores in Virginia, including eight that opened in 2015. Three more Virginia stores are scheduled to open in 2016.

“Welcome to Suffolk,” said Mayor Linda Johnson, using giant scissors to cut the ceremonial ribbon. “You already have a loyal following here. For months, everyone has been asking when Wawa is opening.”

As part of the opening festivities, Wawa — through the Wawa Foundation — donated $30,000 to Special Olympics Virginia. The company has been a long-time supporter of Special Olympics, said Meghan Massie, director of development for Special Olympics Virginia.

Wawa’s donation is earmarked for funding the Law Enforcement Torch Run, an annual event to raise money and awareness for intellectually-disabled children and adults in Virginia.

Suffolk firefighters and police officers fought for bragging rights during a three-minute hoagie-making contest. While it was a close race, Wawa judges awarded the trophy to the Suffolk Police Department’s crime-fighting sandwich makers.

The Wawa Foundation gave $1,000 donations to each team’s charity of choice: the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life and the Muscular Dystrophy Association, for the police and firefighters respectively.

Customers can also celebrate the grand opening with free coffee, $2.99 hoagies and 89-cent fountain drinks, said manager James Keller Jr. The freebies and discounts end at 11:59 p.m. Sunday but will resume for an extra week on Jan. 4.

Wawa spent an estimated $5.5 million to build the store and employs 45 people in Suffolk, Rupert said.

Suffolk Councilman Mike Duman said the new store is going to be an asset to the growing corridor.

“It’s going to be a great convenience for the community, especially on the east side of Godwin Boulevard,” he said.

Sen. John Cosgrove Jr., R-Chesapeake, whose district includes parts of Suffolk, also showed up at the opening. “I love me some Wawa,” he said.