Car-wash evolution
In addition to the revamped menu’s importance, the tunnel car wash is the store’s key differentiator, Spinks said. He called it “evolutionary in the car-wash channel.” While the chain’s current car washes take 12 to 15 cars an hour, the tunnel system is expected to wash up to 60 cars an hour. Moreover, the car wash is service-attending, which means employees work face to face with customers during the payment process to ensure everything is set to go. Spinks said this system aligns with some consumers’ aversion to frictionless service. Then, in tunnel-washing fashion, the customer sits in the car for the ride. The car wash also ties into Spinx Co.’s customer-loyalty program, which translates purchased car-wash packages to fuel-pump discounts.
This location is the 10th Spinx c-store built in just under four years, and Spinks said his team is far from its end goal. “We’re shooting for 25 stores [in Charleston, S.C.],” he said. “It’s a big financial commitment, but in today’s market, it’s possible.”
Spinx ranked No. 71 in CSP's 2017 Top 202 list of the largest c-store chains in the United States.