Do One Thing and Do It Right: What Car Wash Operators Can Learn from Kaady
There is always something new competing for a car wash operator’s attention. New equipment. New chemistry. New pricing strategies. New technology. Competitors opening across town.
Keeping an eye on the industry makes sense, but strong operations still require focus.
That idea came through clearly in a recent episode of AVW’s Behind the Wash, featuring Adam Wilde, General Manager of Operations for Kaady Car Washes.
Wilde summed up Kaady’s philosophy simply:
“Don’t get distracted with what everybody else is doing. Do one thing and do it right.”
For an operation that has grown to 20 locations across three states, there is a lot behind that statement.
Simplicity Can Be an Advantage
Kaady Car Washes was founded in 1976 around a straightforward idea: provide a fast, high-quality wash at a great value.
Nearly 50 years later, that same philosophy still guides the operation.
Kaady uses a simple two-price menu. Customers can make a decision quickly without sorting through a long list of packages.
Its conveyor speed stays consistent whether the wash is busy or slow. At the Hillsboro location featured in the video, the system runs at 200 cars per hour. Its teams also rely on daily, weekly and monthly checklists to keep expectations clear.
Each piece supports the same goal: create a process the team can repeat and the customer can rely on.
Consistency Builds Trust
One of Wilde’s strongest observations was about repetition.
“When customers consistently receive the same high-quality service, they stop questioning us and start relying on us.”
Customers may never know how the equipment is configured or what maintenance checklist was completed that morning.
They experience the result.
Was the property clean? Were they welcomed? Was the process easy? Did they leave with a clean, dry car? Did the wash feel worth what they paid?
When that experience stays consistent, trust grows.
Reliability Starts Behind the Scenes
Kaady’s customer experience is supported by discipline throughout the operation.
The company uses checklists for operations and service, giving employees clear expectations for what needs to happen each day, week and month.
Wilde described the approach this way:
“We try to use our minds for creativity rather than memory.”
That same thinking can apply to maintenance, training, chemical management and customer service.
A dependable operation becomes much easier to maintain when the process is documented, repeatable and understood by the entire team.
Equipment Should Support the Process
Kaady’s partnership with AVW also reflects its operating philosophy.
Wilde repeatedly described what Kaady wants from its equipment: simple, durable, serviceable and easy to fine-tune.
The Hillsboro wash featured in the episode is about 10 years old and continues to look remarkably well maintained. Kaady also reported running 1.2 million vehicles on one hybrid belt.
The bigger takeaway is how closely the equipment supports the operation Kaady wants to run.
Every wash has different needs based on volume, site design, vehicle mix, labor and customer expectations. Equipment decisions should support those needs and help the operation perform consistently.
Simple. Reliable. Consistent. Valuable.
What stood out to us about the Kaady story is how closely its operating philosophy aligns with the way we think about car wash operations at Focused Car Wash Solutions.
Simple. Reliable. Consistent. Valuable. Those ideas can guide decisions across equipment, chemistry, maintenance, training and the customer experience.
And they all come back to you.
Your wash. Your customers. Your goals. Your operation.
Our job at Focused Car Wash Solutions is to help you build an operation that works for your specific needs and continues to perform as your business grows.
Kaady’s success is a good reminder to stay focused on the details that matter most to your customers and your operation. As Wilde put it:
“Pay close attention to your process and your customers, because details matter.”
Stay focused on what matters: keeping your operation simple, reliable, consistent and valuable for the customer.
