Kentucky operator launches value brand to complement premium wash chain
Cheetah Clean's Jeff Fields created Cub Express to serve budget customers after acquiring former ZIPS sites too close to his existing premium locations.
By The Car Wash News Staff
3 min read
Jeff Fields, a fourth-generation cleaner whose family has been in the business since the 1940s, has added a second, lower-priced car wash brand to his Kentucky-based Cheetah Clean operation. The new concept, Cub Express, is designed to reach budget-minded customers without diluting the premium positioning that defines Cheetah Clean.
According to a profile in Auto Laundry News, Fields grew up around car washing in Bowling Green, spent years in the hotel industry, then returned home in the early 2000s to help his father compete. He launched his first Cheetah Clean in 2007 and took controlling ownership of the brand by 2013.
Two brands, two customer segments
Fields built Cheetah Clean around high-touch service, using heated high-pressure systems, proprietary chemicals, extensive vehicle preparation, and in-house tooling. Larger sites let customers leave their vehicles and use amenities such as coffee and cappuccino while staff handle parts of the cleaning. A 2021 flagship in Bowling Green features a double tunnel with two STI belts and PECO equipment, inspired by interior-cleaning operations Fields saw in Europe.
The decision to create a second brand came from a specific opportunity. As part of an industry reorganization, several former ZIPS locations became available, but they sat very close to existing Cheetah Clean washes. Rather than convert them to a premium format that would compete with sites already serving those communities, Fields built Cub Express as a streamlined, lower-cost express wash.
Cub keeps its menu deliberately simple, with packages at $9.99, $17.99, and $22.99, avoiding premium add-ons. Fields is direct about the separation between the two concepts, saying, "You can't be both." Memberships link the brands without erasing the distinction. Entry-level Cub plans are tied to a single location, while higher tiers offer reciprocity across the Cheetah Clean and Cub network, and existing Cheetah members can use Cub sites.
Growth built on distressed properties
Fields has long favored difficult sites, describing distressed and problematic properties as the ones his team likes. Without heavy seed capital early on, he grew through acquisitions, owner-financed deals, and conversions of older locations. Cheetah Clean reached six sites before he sold two strong performers in 2020.
A 2022 investment from Blue Equity, led by Kentucky businessman Jonathan Blue, gave the company more resources to control its South-Central Kentucky footprint and expand into Tennessee. Coverage now stretches from Shepherdsville and Owensboro in Kentucky to the Nashville area, including Donelson and Gallatin. Fields sees a path to 20 to 30 locations in the coming years.
Early Cub results have been encouraging, with the locations collectively attracting several thousand members, many new to the company. Still, Fields describes Cub as a secondary, opportunistic vehicle, with Cheetah Clean remaining the primary force behind the business.
Why it matters for operators
Fields offers a template for operators facing overlapping trade areas or acquisition opportunities that do not fit an existing brand. Rather than forcing every site into one format or cannibalizing established locations, he created a distinct value brand aimed at a separate customer segment and price point. The approach shows that a second concept can absorb distressed or too-close properties while protecting the equity of a premium flagship. His membership structure is worth noting: tiered plans that create reciprocity across both brands can capture budget customers while giving them a reason to trade up. The key discipline is resisting menu creep, keeping the value brand genuinely low-cost rather than blurring the line between discount and premium.
