If the South Jordan store’s opening is any indication, the model will work as well for franchisees as it does for customers.
“They were going six at a time during opening weekend,” says Butterfield. “We serviced 220 customers—the cars lined the streets.”
Part of the draw was the free health checks being offered to all comers during the grand opening, but Ennis and Butterfield say customer feedback has remained very positive, and business has been steady since that first weekend.
Franchisees and potential franchisees like this model—so much in fact that Tunex can’t get them started fast enough. Butterfield says he wanted to have some corporate-owned, full-service sites, but as soon as they begin one, they sell. One is currently being built in Riverton, Utah (it’s about 60 days away from opening), and four more underway in Springville, Clinton, Saratoga Springs and the Alpine/Highland areas of Utah.
Sillitoe says the new model has not only increased the number of individuals considering a Tunex franchise, but has also changed the way potential franchisees view the company.
“There’s nothing like it out there,” he says. “No other franchise can offer what we do because it’s like having two businesses in one. You pay for one, but you get two.”
