Think of a car wash “menu” and what likely comes to mind is a list including wheel treatments, interior dressing and triple foam.

At some sites, however, that menu also includes bagels, muffins, smoothies, sandwiches and occasionally even free coffee. As our society’s understanding — rather, expectation — of a rich customer experience continues to expand, car washes are following suit and finding differentiation as a result.

“We’ve been offering free coffee for at least 10 years,” said Bob Cavalieri, owner of South City Car Wash in South San Francisco, founded by his parents in 1958. “But we started offering free Starbucks coffee in September 2016, and that’s when we hit a home run. It was a name-brand product. Our machine freshly grinds the beans and you can get anything: regular, decaf, latte, cappuccino, vanilla latte. We have it all, including Starbucks tea (Tazo) and hot chocolate. And the customers are extremely happy.”

The initiative started, he said, as other car washes in his area — “very good at what they do and all offering a great product” — began promoting unlimited wash clubs.

“And I’m sure they’re very successful doing it,” Cavalieri said. “But if I was to take that approach, the only way for me to differentiate would be to charge a lower price. Then it becomes a price war, like in the fast food industry… and I just didn’t want to go down that road.”

He chose the road of creating a valuable experience instead, getting rid of his gift shop, redoing the lobby in the manner of a high-end hotel, offering free Wi-Fi, putting in four 55-inch TVs and providing Starbucks coffee. “It’s the difference of why some people go to Denny’s and others go to Ruth’s Chris,” he said. “It’s the ambiance.”

It’s too soon to tell how the move will impact the bottom line in the long run, but he has noticed something: When the customers order extra services, they don’t seem to mind the wait. He wouldn’t be surprised if it results in more extra services overall.

Cavalieri admits he pays attention to customer experience in his own life. When traveling, for example, he will choose gas stations not just based on price, but also on what else they offer and how clean the restrooms are.

“I think it’s important in the car wash industry, too, to create an experience that is more than just a clean car,” he said.

Recent research backs up his thinking. Forbes Magazine published a piece about customer experience being “today’s business benchmark.” “A memorable experience has to have something different from the norm,” the article stated. In addition, providing something of value to the customer — something they want or need — shows that you care and breeds loyalty. And loyalty directly impacts that bottom line.

Loyal customers, according to customer experience research and consulting firm Temkin Group, are five times as likely to repurchase, five times as likely to forgive, seven times as likely to try a new offering and four times as likely to refer. In addition, 55 percent of consumers would pay more for a better customer experience, reports Defaqto Research.

So can a cup of coffee that helps ease a wait time really make that much difference? Perhaps so.

The thing is, that coffee doesn’t even have to be free. Other car wash leaders say having food and drinks onsite — even if customers have to pay for them — helps balance traffic throughout the day, increase new business from passersby and just create a more relaxing environment overall.

Adding to the Image

Fred Misheal, general manager of Auto Spa Express in Burlington, Ontario — home of a 256-foot wash tunnel from door to door — provides lounge chairs, a high bar, TV, bagels, pita sandwiches, coffee, tea, espresso and other snacks. There’s also a Jiffy Lube, further expanding the idea of full service. Misheal, who took the helm in 2007, came from a gasoline and convenience store background, and knew what increased food products could do.

“It’s amazing,” he said. On weekends, demand for both car washes and coffee is high. And during the week, the traffic doubles during lunchtime, as customers can multitask, eating while their cars are being detailed.

“I would definitely recommend it,” he said. “It’s so relaxing to just sit and have a cup of coffee or a sandwich and watch TV. Is it high revenue? No. But if you think about how much space you use out of your lounge, it’s not big.” Car wash staff offer to park customers’ vehicles outside while they finish lunch.

“You add a little bit to the image of the place by having a lounge that offers hot and cold drinks and a quick snack,” he said. “If you look at new car dealerships, they do the same.” There’s one nearby, Misheal said, that took the idea from him.

Distinctly Different

In the Puget Sound area, meanwhile, Classy Chassis expanded to include a drive-through coffee shop onsite. According to owner Corey Campbell, it was back in the early 2000s, and there was a question of what made most sense as a business pairing. Independent coffee shops were on the rise at the time, so Classic Coffee was the result. Campbell had friends in Tacoma who had done likewise with their car wash, with positive results.

“In our market, we have a lot of softer car wash days, where it’s rainy or overcast,” Campbell said. “The question was how we could complement the property in a way that offsets but doesn’t interfere with the busiest times.” Coffee sales are stronger during the week and in the morning half of the day, while the car wash tends to be the opposite.

“You don’t want to become a food business,” Campbell said. “We are in the fast drive-through coffee and refreshment business, and food is somewhat secondary to that. It’s important to keep that in mind when balancing the two. But we compete with businesses like Starbucks by offering a much broader selection of flavors and choices, and that’s what we find our customers are looking for. We try to be distinctly different.”

Photo courtesy Bob Cavalieri.

“We’ve been offering free coffee for at least 10 years,” said Bob Cavalieri, owner of South City Car Wash in South San Francisco, founded by his parents in 1958. “But we started offering free Starbucks coffee in September 2016, and that’s when we hit a home run.”

Photo courtesy Bob Cavalieri.

Bob Cavalieri, owner of South City Car Wash in South San Francisco, wanted to create valuable experience that would set his car wash apart from the competition. His wash now offers free Wi-Fi, four 55-inch TVs and free Starbucks coffee. “It’s the difference of why some people go to Denny’s and others go to Ruth’s Chris,” he said. “It’s the ambiance.”

Back in the early 2000s, Classy Chassis expanded to include a drive-through coffee shop onsite. “In our market, we have a lot of softer car wash days, where it’s rainy or overcast,” Campbell said. “The question was how we could complement the property in a way that offsets but doesn’t interfere with the busiest times.” Coffee sales are stronger during the week and in the morning half of the day, while the car wash tends to be the opposite.