6 Reasons Upstate South Carolinians Pull Into Spinx Instead of the Chain Across the Street
You’re running low on gas in the Upstate, and there’s a Spinx on one side of the road and another chain on the other.
Some drivers turn into Spinx without a second thought, and the reasons go well beyond the pump.
Here’s why Upstate South Carolinians pull into Spinx instead of the chain across the street.
1. Fried Chicken Since 1986
Spinx introduced its fried chicken in 1986.
Its food page lists bone-in pieces, chicken tenders, fried chicken livers and gizzards.
You can add fried okra, mac and cheese or mashed potatoes and gravy from the sides list.
Spinx took its chicken on the road in 2020 with the Cluk Truk food truck.
In the 2025 USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards, Spinx finished seventh among gas stations for food.
Spinx says it was the only South Carolina company among the ten winners.
2. Xtras Fuel Savings
Spinx’s Xtras program advertises 25 cents off a gallon on a new member’s first fill-up.
The program also advertises 10 cents a gallon off every fill-up once you enroll and scan the app at checkout and at the pump.
The Spinx App’s feature list includes a birthday reward, free items, events, contests and giveaways, and live fuel pricing.
Spinx says its average Xtras customer saves 45 cents off a gallon on fuel.
Greenville station WSPA reported that the USA Today 10Best list recognized Spinx for its cost-saving Xtras offers.
What Limits Spinx Xtras Fuel Rewards
Spinx’s FAQ says Xtras rewards are valid for up to 20 gallons of gasoline.
The FAQ adds that, for safety reasons, you may use them only while fueling a single vehicle.
The FAQ gives you the month you earned a fuel discount, plus another full month, to redeem it.
3. Ride ‘N Shine Car Washes
Spinx runs over 60 Ride ‘N Shine car wash locations across South Carolina.
Tunnel washes arrived in 2019.
They come in Classic, Super and Premium packages.
Classic includes tire shine, rain repellent and triple foam, and Super adds hot wax, an undercarriage blast and bug prep.
As of October 2026, the car wash page lists monthly club prices of $19.99 for Classic, $29.99 for Super and $39.99 for Premium.
It says a membership works at any Spinx car wash location and lets you wash your vehicle up to once a day.
If you’d rather skip the tunnel, Spinx offers rollover washes too, as soft brush or touch free.
Spinx installed its first rollover car wash in 1991.
4. Downtown Greenville Market
The Spinx Company launched Spinx Market & Eatery in downtown Greenville in October 2024.
It was a Spinx location at 659 S. Main.
Its menu opened with Spinx’s fried chicken, plus paninis, flatbreads, salads, pastries and desserts.
You could find items from local partners, including Methodical Coffee, Double Stamp Brewery and Carolina Honey Bee.
Twin Creeks Lavender, Common Pops and Dottie’s Toffee were among the others.
The market was set to open every day from 5 a.m. to 2 a.m., with grab-and-go items after 9 p.m.
The plan called for a place to stop as early as 5 a.m. or as late as 2 a.m.
5. PureMax Ethanol-Free Gas
Spinx lists PureMax Unleaded as ethanol-free 87 octane gasoline.
The page says the regular 87 may contain up to 10% ethanol, so if you want ethanol-free gas, PureMax is the grade to look for.
E85, which Spinx offers at a select number of locations, is designed for flex-fuel vehicles and isn’t compatible with all vehicles.
Diesel, compressed natural gas and Level II and III electric vehicle charging are on the same page.
Fuel types vary by location.
Spinx’s locations page lets you filter for PureMax Ethanol Free, E-85 and electric vehicle chargers.
Psst! How much do you know about gas stations and the Upstate? Take our quiz and see if you can ace it.
Quiz
Upstate Pit Stop Trivia
Answer these questions on gas stations and the Upstate. We bet you can’t get them all right. Prove us wrong?
How much water can the Peachoid, Gaffney’s peach-shaped tower, hold?
6. Breakfast Biscuits
Breakfast at Spinx includes biscuits.
The food page lists six of them.
You can pick a chicken biscuit, a spicy tender biscuit or a sausage biscuit.
Three more pair sausage, bacon or steak with egg and cheese.
Breakfast in a cup, a breakfast wrap and hash browns are on the same list, so your order can skip the biscuit.
The Greenville station WSPA described Spinx's menu as fresh breakfast foods, sides, sandwiches, wraps and fried chicken.
Founder and Son
Stewart Spinks founded Spinx in 1972, starting with a home heating oil delivery service and one convenience store in Greenville.
His son, Steve Spinks, is chairman and chief executive, according to the trade publication CSP's 2026 Top 202 profile.
The family name is Spinks.
When you fill up at Spinx, you're buying from a Greenville-based company.
CSP's 2026 Top 202 list put Spinx at No. 71, up from No. 77 a year earlier.
Spinks Family Foundation
The Spinks Family Foundation has given more than $10.2 million to more than 1,700 organizations since 2016, according to Spinx's community page.
Each year, Spinx hosts the Spinx Charity Classic golf tournament, which benefits five local organizations that the foundation's board selects for three-year commitments.
The page lists education and children, food security, health, and substance abuse and mental health as focus areas for large grants.
If you run a nonprofit, the page lists a large grant window of March 1 to March 30 each year, for requests of $10,000 and up.
Fleet Fueling Accounts
Spinx offers a fleet fueling program for business vehicles, from long-haul trucks to local contractors.
As of October 2026, Spinx's fleet page advertises 10 cents a gallon off for new enrollees' first four months.
Rebates grow with volume.
The rebates run from 2 cents a gallon for 1 to 249 gallons up to 7 cents a gallon for 5,000 or more.
Your fleet account can restrict fueling to a day or timeframe, limit transactions per day and lock drivers.
The program works at all Spinx locations and at any station that takes Fuelman, the page says.
Charleston and Columbia
Spinx opened a store in Charleston's West Ashley area in December 2023.
If you've only seen Spinx around the Upstate, the 2026 profile in the trade publication CSP names Charleston and Columbia among the cities where the company sees growth.
The profile says Spinx opened five stores and a car wash in 2025, so your closest Spinx may be a recent addition.
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