Grease Monkey and Grease Monkey Shine vs Tommy's Express Car Wash Franchise Comparison

Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Grease Monkey and Grease Monkey Shine vs Tommy's Express Car Wash including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.

Start-Up Costs and Fees

 
Grease Monkey and Grease Monkey Shine Franchise
Tommy's Express Car Wash Franchise
Investment $55,000 - $761,135$4,177,172 - $5,974,249
Franchise Fee $35,000$50,000
Royalty Fee 5%4%
Advertising Fee 0.5%1%
Year Founded 19782015
Year Franchised 19792016
Term Of Agreement 15 years-
Term Of Agreement 15 years-
Renewal Fee $5K-


Business Experience Requirements

 
Grease Monkey and Grease Monkey Shine Franchise
Tommy's Express Car Wash Franchise
Experience
  • General business experience
  • Marketing skills
  • -

    Financing Options

     
    Grease Monkey and Grease Monkey Shine Franchise
    Tommy's Express Car Wash Franchise
      In-House/3rd PartyIn-House/3rd Party
    Franchise Fees No/Yes-/-
    Start-up Costs No/Yes-/-
    Equipment No/Yes-/-
    Inventory No/Yes-/-
    Receivables No/No-/-
    Payroll No/No-/-

    Training & Support

     
    Grease Monkey and Grease Monkey Shine Franchise
    Tommy's Express Car Wash Franchise
    Training On-The-Job Training: 40 hours Classroom Training: 35 hours Additional Training: Annual regional meetings -
    Support Newsletter Meetings/Conventions Toll-Free Line Grand Opening Online Support Security/Safety Procedures Field Operations Site Selection Proprietary Software Franchisee Intranet Platform -
    Marketing Co-op Advertising Ad Templates Social media SEO Website development Email marketing Loyalty program/app -
    Operations 30% of all franchisees own more than one unit

    Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 8

    Absentee ownership of franchise is allowed. (95% of current franchisees are owner/operators)

    -

    Expansion Plans

     
    Grease Monkey and Grease Monkey Shine Franchise
    Tommy's Express Car Wash Franchise
    US Expansion YesYes
    Canada Expansion No-
    International Expansion YesYes

    Company Overviews

    About Grease Monkey and Grease Monkey Shine

    Founded in 1978, Grease Monkey centers provide preventive maintenance that meets manufacturers' recommendations for most makes and models of cars, with no appointment necessary. Grease Monkey International is the nation's largest independent franchisor of automotive oil change centers serving more than 2 million customers each year with 75% of them being return customers. Our "less hassle, more hustle!" customer experience is part of every signature Grease Monkey® service.

    Headquartered in Denver Colorado, the Grease Monkey® brand currently has more than 300 centers operating in the United States, Latin America, and China.
    GMI is not owned by a major oil company. Being independent means GMI's focus remains on helping customers properly maintain their car or truck, instead of selling a particular brand of oil. Since 1998, the company has offered a Monkey Shine program--a car wash adjacent to and in conjunction with the Grease Monkey Center.

    The estimated total investment necessary to begin operation of a Grease Monkey franchise ranges from $156,695 to $347,850, including between $5,000 and $50,000 which must be paid to the franchisor or its affiliates.
    If you elect to include a Monkey Shine Facility providing car wash services in conjunction with the Grease Monkey Center, the total investment increases between $151,650 and $761,135 depending on the configuration and size of your Monkey Shine Facility, none of which added costs is paid to the franchisor or its affiliates. Grease Monkey franchisees have the option to choose to operate a Monkey Shine Facility.
    Grease Monkey area developers acquire the right to develop multiple franchises, with a minimum of three Grease Monkey Centers in a designated development area. The total investment necessary to begin operation as an area developer to open three Grease Monkey Centers ranges from $55,000 to $65,000, all of which must be paid to the franchisor or its affiliates.
    Veteran Incentives  $10,000 off franchise fee

    "franchiserankingscom"   "Entrepreneur
    #84 on Franchise Rankings.com
    #161 in Franchise 500 for 2020.
    #167 in Franchise 500 for 2021.




    About Tommy's Express Car Wash


    Tommy's Car Wash Systems is a team of passionate car wash professionals working to create opportunities for our partners to become the best car wash operators they can be.
    We provide modular building designs, robust stainless steel car wash equipment, an advanced Wash Club license plate reader system, the Tommy Transporter belt, high performance wash detergents, and an industry-leading franchise opportunity.
    At Tommy's Car Wash Systems we have a solution for almost any size operator. Our team has assisted in the development of hundreds of some of the most successful car washes around the world and we hope to transform your business with our expertise and vision.


    Required minimum of three Tommy’s Express Car Wash outlets to be developed.


    Veteran Incentives   $20,000 off franchise fee

    #370 in Franchise 500 for 2021.   Not in Franchise 500 for 2020.