SHOP STATS: Lex Brodie's Fast Lube Location: Kailua-Kona and Hilo, Hawaii. Average Car Count: 90 Staff Size: 16 Network Size: 2 locations Ticket Average: $100
A Piece of the Market
There are two fast lube shops on the main island of Hawaii and Lance McQuirk says they’re operated in Hilo and Kailua-Kona.
McQuirk, director of operations for the two facilities, says the locations were both old Chevrolet dealership locations. The Kailua-Kona location’s old Chevrolet dealership building was renovated. Initially, there was a two-bay fast lube center, then a tire and auto repair center, and a year later the team opened a gas station and another year later opened a car wash.
Each location was built to inspire a one-stop shop for the customer’s needs. So, a customer can have their car repaired, tires changed, car washed and have a quick oil and lube change as well.
A Touch of the Island
Each of the two fast lube location’s waiting rooms were designed by the company’s advertising director, Anita Tatum. She is a local Hawaiian and thus, brought a touch of local Hawaiian flair to the design of the waiting areas.
Since the weather remains around 84 degrees every day at the Kilau-Kona location, customers have the option of waiting for their car in the outside waiting room.
When the Hilo location was built in 2019, it was created with an air-conditioned waiting room inside the building. Tatum added Hawaiian flowers, sea urchins and shells to decorate the space. All of the decorations are fake, however, for longevity.
Long-Term Storage
The shops must also be able to maintain a large inventory of supplies, because McQuirk orders everything from the mainland.
He told NOLN in 2019 that when dealing with long delivery times that are occasionally disrupted, he wants to make sure that he’s got everything his shops need to perform service in the meantime. Sometimes that means ordering extra inventory.
“I think it took a year and a half or better to get the inventory really dialed in, as to how much padding to keep,” he says. “And timing-wise, what day of the week to place the order.”
