Take five oil time1/18/2024 While there are always fears of having to keep an eye on distant locations, the team at Take 5 Oil Change doesn’t think distance is a barrier. Top-down knowledge of cars is further coupled with a strong training department that digs deep into evolving automotive technology.Įven as the company plans to open five new locations and expands into a new state, its executive team is still cautious about getting too big or extending too far from New Orleans. This includes Take 5 Oil Change’s executives, many of whom have been in the industry over 25 years. “They stay on top of technology naturally.” “We have a group of people here who are car lovers,” said Lenny Saucier, director of training. To that end, it has been essential for techs at the shop to truly understand changing automotive technology. Today, every modern vehicle is loaded with more technology than one might have found in an entire RadioShack back in 1984. Where Take 5 Oil Change has had to change is in the way they understand the ever changing, ever complicated vehicles rolling into their shop. When they did, it was called an advertising agency’s dream because it emphasized the oil change, not the schedule. Eventually, the company converted its Rapid Oil locations to the five-minute format. At that point, Take 5 pivoted to improve the customer experience and the speed of the service they provided. The concept reflected a new direction in the business model. Notably, in 1996, Take 5 piloted its first five-minute drive-thru oil change concept. Over the years, Take 5 Oil Change has changed course when they needed to. That doesn’t mean they don’t know how to adapt to industry evolution. “We focus on premium oils, air filters and wipers,” Frey noted. While the word, change, is in their name, Take 5 has stayed on course by keeping it simple for the techs and customers. Over the past three decades, the company has managed to endure boom times and recessions. “We spend an inordinate amount of time assuring every employee understands the critical nature of that trust and its play on retention and acquisition of new customers.” “We have a legacy of very high customer care and trust,” explained company president Pete Frey. Through this rapid growth during the past 31 years, the company has ensured its brand is respected while its customers know they can trust taking their vehicles to any Take 5 Oil Change. “We are completing our analysis on franchising right now and will see where that carries us in the future.” “All but three locations are company owned, and the large group in the future will be company owned,” said Marc Graham, CEO of Take 5 Oil Change. To date, the company has opted to limit franchising the brand but it continues to consider future options to do so. Among the newest locations is the first Take 5 in Florida. What started in Louisiana, just outside New Orleans, spread to eight states and across the southeastern United States from Virginia to Texas and 60 locations, with five more shops opening in the coming months. They met those needs with convenience and speed. Take 5 Oil Change recognized the average number of vehicles per household was increasing and saw the potential for growth. In the mid 1980s, the automobile world was quite different, but even in the era of skinny ties and Ronald Reagan, it was clear consumer trends were moving toward quick and convenient niche services. Since then, it has seen expansion, faced disaster and become part of the community. It offered quick oil changes, minor repairs and other maintenance services. In the fall of 1984, Take 5 was known as Rapid Oil Change. Across the country in Metairie, Louisiana, the first Take 5 Oil Change opened its doors, and the quick lube industry hasn’t been the same since. 1984 turned out not to be the year of Big Brother, but it was the year Chrysler introduced the first minivans, as well as the year America cleaned up in gold medals at the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
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