Editor’s Note: In our first installment of this very occasional series, we mourned the lack of good bagels in the District. Now, we wonder why a simple oil change is so hard to come by within the city limits. Is there something you think D.C. is missing? Let us know.
How many times has this happened to you: It’s a Friday morning and owing to your plan to drive out of the city for a quick weekend getaway, you realize it’s necessary to get a lube, oil & filter change on your way to work. You know, so your engine doesn’t melt on your way home. You stop by a service station around 8:30 a.m., but the manager quickly informs you that they have more work for the day than their mechanics can handle already, and suggests you try someplace else. So you do. And at the next place, it’s the same story all over again.
If you both live and work within the bounds of the District, trying to get what should be a 20-minute quickie lube can be an exercise in torture. Sure, there are drive-thru options in Virginia and Maryland, but they are hardly convenient for everyone. Plenty of other major cities have such businesses, so DCist got to thinking, what’s up with that? Is it a zoning thing, or a regulation on dumping used motor oil, or just a matter of real estate availability?
Looking for answers, we turned to beheamoth national chain Jiffy Lube. And from Helen Bow in their PR department, we received the following reply:
… There are many Jiffy Lube service centers in Maryland and Virginia, but not in Washington, D.C. proper. The reason is because a majority of our service centers are franchise-owned and operated and unfortunately, there aren’t any franchisees in your area. If anyone is interested in starting a Jiffy Lube franchise in Washington, D.C., they should call 800-327-9532.
So no earth-shattering news there, but it does suggest to us that there is an untapped business opportunity out there in our city. We can think of a long list of people who would be thrilled to see a drive-thru lube option open up in Northwest D.C., whether tied to a big national chain or independently operated. Are you one of them?
