Shop Name: Benny’s Mobil 1 Express Lube
Location: Based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, with seven oil change locations
Owners: Benny Alford, Jason Alford, and Justin Alford
Bay count: 2 to 5
Staff size: 400 total across segments
Where it’s Easy Being Green
From first opening as a car wash in 1951, to broadening its horizons to quick lube in the early 1980s, to now, Benny’s has remained a family owned and operated business. First started by Justin Alford’s grandfather, he now co-owns the business alongside his father and brother, with his daughter to soon be the fourth generation entering the business.
Based in Louisiana, Benny's has seven oil change facilities throughout the Baton Rouge area, each one accompanied by their signature car wash. Each one is built from the ground up, complete with a pit and basement.
The first thing customers likely notice driving up are the bright lights and vibrant green of the shop signs. The result of a rebranding effort made in 2016, a marketing company had come in and did a market study that found consumers associated green with the environment.
“So, environmentally friendly,” explains Alford. “And there's a lot of red in town, so we chose the green.”
Making a Smooth Ride
The quick lube drive-thru has a sleek, white, metal exterior. Above the tunnel is the Mobil 1 Lube Express logo, accompanied by Benny’s logo.
While the waiting room is now rarely used, every location comes with one. Certain situations, such as state inspections, will require a customer to exit their vehicle.
Customers pull in and are treated to bottled water and portable air conditioning blowing on them. In newer locations, cameras are set up so the customer can watch the techs as they work on their car.
A Tradition of Improvement
While oil changes used to be done with lifts, Benny’s has transitioned to exclusively using pits and utilizing the drive-thru oil change style.
Another change the business has seen in the last 30 years is the surge in the number of oils offered and used throughout different vehicles. It’s required Benny’s to invest more in expanding their storage space.
“30 years ago, you had three grades of oil: 10-30, 10-40, 20-50. Now you got dozens of different types of oils and it’s a lot more challenging than it used to be. So, space and storage become a real issue,” tells Alford. “Every manufacturer has got their own little speck of oil that they want you to use.”
From experimenting with evacuating oils in vehicles with complicated skid plates, to using bay timers to count how long a car has been in the shop, the shop is ever evolving—but hasn’t forgotten its roots.
“Our member number with PAMA (Preventative Automotive Maintenance Association) is member number six,” tells Alford. “We've been around a long time in the industry.”
