Highest Volume / Most Expensive Car Wash Properties in US
- Thread starter hkim310
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robert roman
Bob Roman
Triple Play, Attleboro, Mass, 3-acre site, over $12.0 million.
Metro Express, Englewood, Colorado, retrofitted warehouse, 34,000 SF building with dual exterior express tunnels, leased land, estimate around $7.0 million.
Metro Express, Englewood, Colorado, retrofitted warehouse, 34,000 SF building with dual exterior express tunnels, leased land, estimate around $7.0 million.
I was at the Car Wash Show in Nashville and attended a seminar held by Tommy's. The CEO of Tommy's was the indivdual who spoke at the seminar. He mentioned a Tommy's site in Michigan called the Waverly site that washed over 400,000 vehicles in its first year. I just can't imagine how busy a wash could be washing that type of volume. One of these days I want to take a trip up there to see it.
robert roman
Bob Roman
I watched the Waverly video.
Multiple profit center carwash business model is not new. Operators were doing high volume with this long before Tommy became popular.
What Tommy did different is refine tunnel process. Principal said 100,000 cars in 86 days, peak day 2,300 cars, peak hour 194 cars.
However, this isn’t run of the mill c-store either.
Super site with high-volume gas (probably 450K gallons per month or more), giant branded c-store with food services and gigantic carwash facility.
Nice operation.
If you dig into site location characteristics, you can get some idea why volume is so high.
The gas discount is also attractive.
Multiple profit center carwash business model is not new. Operators were doing high volume with this long before Tommy became popular.
What Tommy did different is refine tunnel process. Principal said 100,000 cars in 86 days, peak day 2,300 cars, peak hour 194 cars.
However, this isn’t run of the mill c-store either.
Super site with high-volume gas (probably 450K gallons per month or more), giant branded c-store with food services and gigantic carwash facility.
Nice operation.
If you dig into site location characteristics, you can get some idea why volume is so high.
The gas discount is also attractive.
L
loewem
Guest
Robert,
I have a six bay wash. 1st bay has an ice vending machine (might have made a mistake buying it - if not, might have been a mistake to put it in an ss bay - didn't have much choice on location at the time. 4 SS bays and an automatic bay with a LW 4000. There are three tunnels in the area, but none are very close to my wash. One is about 5 miles from my wash and has a poor reputation. Two are about 10 miles in the other direction. One is full service and has a so so reputation. The other is just opening and it looks like the model is express wash with free vacs (not sure if it will have an service personnel on site - I doubt it). The last wash is an add on to a five bay ss with one autobay and it has a good reputation. The owner has multiple sites in the area and expect that it will continue to be a good wash.
I have been thinking about and looking into putting a tunnel in at my wash. From what I've found out so far I might be able to add the tunnel to the side of the auto bay. It would be tight, but the salesman I've been talking to thinks it would work. If that doesn't work out I can add length to my existing auto bay for the tunnel. In that case I might look into moving my laser to my last ss bay. I'm not on any timeline for this. I can retire from my primary job in four years and thinking/planning for where I want to take my wash in the future. Tunnel seems to be the future. Would you mind commenting on I need to think about and learn about?
I'm really dreaming about something along the lines of what Rising Tides Car Wash is doing in Florida. That is, employing people with developmental disabilities at my wash. My daughter is on the Autism Spectrum, so I understand the need for jobs/careers for people with disabilities.
Thanks
Mike
I have a six bay wash. 1st bay has an ice vending machine (might have made a mistake buying it - if not, might have been a mistake to put it in an ss bay - didn't have much choice on location at the time. 4 SS bays and an automatic bay with a LW 4000. There are three tunnels in the area, but none are very close to my wash. One is about 5 miles from my wash and has a poor reputation. Two are about 10 miles in the other direction. One is full service and has a so so reputation. The other is just opening and it looks like the model is express wash with free vacs (not sure if it will have an service personnel on site - I doubt it). The last wash is an add on to a five bay ss with one autobay and it has a good reputation. The owner has multiple sites in the area and expect that it will continue to be a good wash.
I have been thinking about and looking into putting a tunnel in at my wash. From what I've found out so far I might be able to add the tunnel to the side of the auto bay. It would be tight, but the salesman I've been talking to thinks it would work. If that doesn't work out I can add length to my existing auto bay for the tunnel. In that case I might look into moving my laser to my last ss bay. I'm not on any timeline for this. I can retire from my primary job in four years and thinking/planning for where I want to take my wash in the future. Tunnel seems to be the future. Would you mind commenting on I need to think about and learn about?
I'm really dreaming about something along the lines of what Rising Tides Car Wash is doing in Florida. That is, employing people with developmental disabilities at my wash. My daughter is on the Autism Spectrum, so I understand the need for jobs/careers for people with disabilities.
Thanks
Mike
Ric
Cantree Member
I've toured the site...inside and out. Very nice wash in Holland, MI.
robert roman
Bob Roman
Mike,
I met the manager of Rising Tides and spoke with him during dinner at last SECWA. What a program. They have a lot to be proud of.
Funny, I’ve driven past Rising Tides several times to evaluate it as competitor site for several client projects but never had opportunity to stop and talk shop.
Such a program would be icing on the cake for a repositioned carwash.
By reposition, I mean transition from self-serve business model to one that provides assisted-services, the delivery of which requires employees, people skills and team work.
For example, “….salesman I've been talking to thinks it would work.”
Most carwash projects require supplier as well as other advisers but most sales persons would not be the ideal person to rely for what may work or not. “Think it would work” aims to keep the sale alive.
So, my advice, as always, is to follow process. Select advisers (team), determine viability, design and layout, seek entitlements, etc.
Here, viability means evaluating goals and objectives (i.e. retire, income, investment) and determining feasibility.
Hope this helps.
I met the manager of Rising Tides and spoke with him during dinner at last SECWA. What a program. They have a lot to be proud of.
Funny, I’ve driven past Rising Tides several times to evaluate it as competitor site for several client projects but never had opportunity to stop and talk shop.
Such a program would be icing on the cake for a repositioned carwash.
By reposition, I mean transition from self-serve business model to one that provides assisted-services, the delivery of which requires employees, people skills and team work.
For example, “….salesman I've been talking to thinks it would work.”
Most carwash projects require supplier as well as other advisers but most sales persons would not be the ideal person to rely for what may work or not. “Think it would work” aims to keep the sale alive.
So, my advice, as always, is to follow process. Select advisers (team), determine viability, design and layout, seek entitlements, etc.
Here, viability means evaluating goals and objectives (i.e. retire, income, investment) and determining feasibility.
Hope this helps.
tdlconceptsllc
Well-known member
LOEWEM you have to have a killer location not a side road street location 4-6+ Lane highway to make a express wash or tunnel work. Your laser would have to wash over 2K+ cars a month for me personally to even consider putting in a tunnel/Express wash. We talking big money here for equipment several several hundreds of thousands to do it right. I think the Raleigh market in NC is about to be saturated with express washes. http://www.carwash.com/carwash-to-expand-reach-in-north-carolina-with-20-new-locations/ not to mention American Pride remodeling all sites. That's stiff competition big time but the SS is a dieing breed more and more everyday I agree with you. Makes me humble myself and think different options beside the Carwash business.
