This story was originally published in National Oil and Lube News, April 1, 2020, Author: Matt Hudson.
SHOP STATS: Texoma Pit Stop Location: Madill, Okla. Operator: Story family Staff Size: 5 Shop Size: 2 bays and car wash
Coming to Madill
With the original shop based in nearby Durant, Okla., the Story family opened this Madill shop in 2016. Robert Story Jr. is the operator of the facility, which was a new construction project.
“We actually tore down an existing restaurant in town and built an express lube with a car wash addition to it,” he says.
They were looking to fill a niche in Madill, which didn’t have a dedicated quick lube facility at the time. He says they focused on treating customers well, and the community has responded.
“Our goal wasn’t to go in and take business from anyone,” he says. “Our ultimate recipe is 10 minutes or less. It’s in, out, on with your life. And always be true to our customers.”
The Story family attributes a lot of their success to having solid managers. Scotty Parrott at the Durant store helped train Leonard Beach, who came on to open the Madill store and has been a solid day-to-day presence since, Story says. Beach became the Texoma Pit Stop manager.
“As a family, we trust him to run and operate our business in the same way and fashion that we would,” Story says. “And for us, that’s extremely important in providing that good quality consistent customer service.”
Customer Care
The Texoma Pit Stop is a clean stone and brick building with two bays and a customer waiting area.
Customers have the option to hang out in the lobby area or in their vehicles during service. If they choose the former, they can check out an array of hubcaps that adorn the walls. They can watch a bit of television, too.
“We wanted to give the customers a clean, nice place to hang out, even though we knew they were going to be there for a short amount of time,” Story says.
The grounds are set up with the car wash in back. Ideally, a customer might drive out of a service bay and right into the car wash.
Small Footprint, Big Efficiencies
The shop area is good and bright for the techs to do their work. Story says they went for a full pit area to utilize that storage space and have solid catwalks for the techs.
“Underground oil and storage tanks that are accessible from the basement,” he says. “Full stocking area for all bottom side material and parts that are needed to change oil.”
There’s more storage in the employee break room, which contains a whole bunch of filters, Story says.
Above ground, there’s very little clutter in the bays. Story says the techs like the tire gauge that drops from the ceiling, allowing them to check all tires with the same line.
They also have access to a fully stocked pump stand, which helps put the oil products in one place.
“We have a full pump stand that’s loaded with seven oil products which allows us to deliver oil toe vehicles in a clean manner,” he says.
Matt Hudson is the associate editor of National Oil and Lube News. He’s owned a few cars, but his favorite was a 1995 Oldsmobile 88.
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