Tommy's Express opens Sunnyvale location with three-day community event
The franchise paired its ribbon cutting with a food pantry drive and giveaways to introduce its newest Texas wash to the surrounding community.
By The Car Wash News Staff
3 min read
Tommy's Express opened its newest Texas wash at 3217 N. Belt Line Road in Sunnyvale with a three-day celebration built around free giveaways and a local food drive. The event kicked off Thursday, August 6, with a ribbon cutting and ran through the weekend, according to an announcement published by the International Carwash Association.
The opening tied the wash's debut to a charitable partnership, giving residents a reason to visit beyond the grand opening discounts. The approach reflects a common playbook for new express locations trying to build early goodwill and traffic in an unfamiliar market.
How the grand opening was structured
The celebration spanned three days, each with its own draw. The Chamber of Commerce cut the ribbon Thursday to officially open the facility, and guests received free detail kits while supplies lasted.
On Friday, August 7, the Sharing Life food pantry, which serves families throughout Dallas County, set up on site to collect donations. Customers who brought two canned food items received 50 percent off a WORKS wash, the top wash package. The can drive continued Saturday, August 8, alongside free Kona Ice for visitors.
By pairing the discount with a canned goods donation rather than offering a straight price cut, the location generated food pantry contributions while still giving customers an incentive to try the wash. The structure also created a repeat visit opportunity across multiple days rather than a single opening-day rush.
About the brand behind the location
Tommy's Express is a national car wash franchise that traces its roots to Quality Car Wash, founded by Jacob, Sonny, and Tom Essenburg in 1969. The franchise's buildings and equipment, originally developed by Tommy Car Wash Systems, are manufactured in West Michigan.
The company provides franchisees with training, marketing, technical support, and access to franchise-exclusive wash products and technology. Entrepreneur Magazine ranked Tommy's Express No. 1 in the car wash category on its Franchise 500 list and included the brand among its fastest-growing franchises.
Why it matters for operators
A grand opening is one of the few moments when a new wash can command attention in a neighborhood before it has any reputation, and how an operator spends that window shapes early membership conversion. The Sunnyvale event offers a template worth studying regardless of brand affiliation.
The food drive tie-in does three things at once. It generates local press and social media coverage that a plain discount rarely earns, it puts a community partner's supporters in front of the wash, and it frames the discount as a fair exchange rather than a giveaway that trains customers to expect cheap washes. Requiring canned goods for the discount also filters for people willing to make an effort, who tend to be better membership prospects.
Spreading the event across three days, each with a distinct offer, encourages return visits and keeps momentum going past opening day. Operators planning a launch can borrow the multi-day structure, line up a local charity partner well in advance, and coordinate with the chamber of commerce to maximize turnout. The bigger lesson is that community goodwill and traffic are not competing goals, and a well-designed opening can serve both at once.
