Tommy's Express adds new locations in California, Virginia and Washington
The franchise brand continues its national expansion with new express tunnel sites in Lake Elsinore, Yorktown and Union Gap.
By The Car Wash News Staff
3 min read
Tommy's Express has opened another round of new washes across three states, continuing a steady national rollout of its express tunnel model. The latest sites are located in Lake Elsinore, California; Yorktown, Virginia; and Union Gap, Washington, according to reporting from Auto Laundry News.
The new locations carry the brand's standardized building design and proprietary wash equipment, part of a consistent format the company applies across its growing footprint.
What the new sites offer
Each facility uses a dual-belt conveyor built to handle a range of vehicle types, paired with large bay windows that let waiting guests watch their vehicle move through the tunnel. Outside the wash, customers have access to free self-serve interior vacuum stations and mat washers.
The consumer-facing model leans heavily on membership and mobile technology. Guests can enroll in the TommyClub Unlimited Wash Membership through the brand's mobile app, and license plate recognition technology grants members automatic entry at the point of arrival. The sites offer four wash package tiers aimed at different needs and price points.
A repeatable expansion format
The openings reflect a broader strategy that many high-volume express chains have adopted: replicating a single recognizable design and technology package at each new site. Standardizing the building, equipment, and customer experience allows a brand to scale quickly while keeping operations and staff training consistent from market to market. The spread across California, Virginia, and Washington also shows the company is pursuing geographic diversity rather than clustering in a single region.
Why it matters for operators
The continued growth of national express brands has direct implications for independent operators. When a chain like Tommy's Express enters a new market, it typically brings aggressive unlimited membership pricing, app-based convenience, and license plate recognition that removes friction at entry. Those features raise customer expectations for speed and ease across the whole local market.
Operators in or near Lake Elsinore, Yorktown, and Union Gap should expect new competitive pressure on membership conversion and pricing. The most practical response is to focus on the elements a national franchise cannot easily replicate: local relationships, service quality, wash results, and a frictionless membership experience of your own. If your site still relies on manual entry or lacks a mobile signup path, the arrival of a tech-forward competitor is a signal to close those gaps.
It is also worth watching how these chains bundle free vacuums and mat washers as standard amenities. When customers begin treating those extras as baseline expectations, independents that charge for them or omit them may find it harder to defend membership value. Tracking new openings in your trade area, and understanding the specific package tiers and pricing a competitor brings, gives operators time to adjust their own offers before subscriber churn begins.
