Are you considering buying a laundromat or already own one? Staying updated with industry news and trends can help you succeed. Here’s a breakdown of key points from the latest episode of Laundromat News Today that can guide your next steps.
1. Leverage Global Trends to Improve Customer Experience
Insight: Malaysia has banned smoking in laundromats, setting a healthier environment standard.
Application: Implementing and enforcing a no-smoking policy in your laundromat can enhance air quality and customer satisfaction. Add signs and inform customers to create a welcoming atmosphere for all.
2. Bounce Back Strong from Disasters
Insight: The only laundromat in Greenfield, Iowa, rebuilt after being destroyed by a tornado.
Application: Insure your laundromat against natural disasters and have a disaster recovery plan. This involves having the right insurance coverage, knowing the steps to file claims, and a timeline to rebuild if needed.
3. Support Your Community During Crises
Insight: Wildfires in Los Angeles are affecting businesses, and laundromat owners are reaching out to help.
Application: Be active in your community by providing support during times of need. This could include offering free laundry services to affected families or being a warming center during cold snaps.
4. Innovate by Combining Services
Insight: Laundromats like the no-name laundromat in Brockton with a bakery, and Mary’s Cafe which offers top-rated Cuban food.
Application: Consider adding complementary services like a café or bakery to your laundromat. This not only attracts more customers but also enhances their experience while they wait for their laundry.
5. Honor the Veterans in the Industry
Insight: John Cappadocci, a beloved laundromat owner, recently passed away.
Application: Recognize the contributions of long-time laundromat owners in your area. Celebrate their stories and learn from their experiences to gain valuable insights and build a stronger community.
6. Transform Laundromats into Community Hubs
Insight: An initiative in Pennsylvania is turning laundromats into literacy-rich environments.
Application: Partner with local organizations to offer educational and community services. Create a small reading nook for children or host community events. This boosts your laundromat’s role as a valued community asset.
7. Utilize Technology to Improve Operations
Insight: Cents’ new AI-powered call center, Sense Assist, is designed for laundry businesses.
Application: Incorporate AI-driven tools to optimize customer service and streamline operations. Look into advanced call center solutions like Sense Assist to provide efficient assistance and improve customer satisfaction.
8. Stay Vigilant Against Theft and Vandalism
Insight: Multiple laundromats, including in Burlington and Philadelphia, faced significant theft.
Application: Enhance security measures with surveillance cameras, alarm systems, and secure cash handling procedures. Regularly audit these systems and train staff to detect and respond to potential threats.
9. Adapt to Growing Trends in Laundry Services
Insight: The wash-and-fold and pickup-and-delivery services are expanding, with big names entering the market.
Application: Explore offering wash-and-fold and pickup-and-delivery services if you haven’t already. This can tap into new customer bases and significantly increase your revenue stream.
10. Ensure Financial and Operational Readiness
Insight: Kathy Ireland’s venture into laundromat franchising highlights the influx of big investments.
Application: Preparing your business for potential competition involves improving operations, adopting modern technologies, and possibly considering franchising opportunities yourself. Stay proactive to remain competitive.
By integrating these practical tips and insights, you can enhance your laundromat’s success and provide exceptional services to your community.
Stay tuned to Laundromat News Today for more updates and industry news to keep your business thriving!
Do you have news you want to share or do you have a press release? Send us an email at [email protected] to be featured in the next edition of Laundromat News Today.
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Episode Transcript
Jordan Berry [00:00:02]:
Welcome to Laundromat News. Today, I am your anchor, Jordan Barry. We are bringing you all things Laundromat News related. We’re back for the new year, kicking it off with the latest and greatest going around the laundromat industry today. And, let’s start international with a bit of, I guess, good news. Out there in Malaysia where they are banning smoking in laundromats. So, hey, here’s a win for all the lungs in Malaysia. Way to go on banning smoking in Malaysia.
Jordan Berry [00:00:34]:
Okay. Malaysian laundromats, really. Wanna celebrate with, Greenfield, Iowa’s only laundromat that was destroyed by a tornado 7 months ago, and, they have now rebuilt and are ready to reopen. So congratulations to the owners of the green, Greenfield, Iowa’s laundromat that’s reopening. I know how devastating that can be, with that going around. And, you know, with that said, I wanna just acknowledge that right now there’s wildfires going on all over Los Angeles, right now and I know a lot of residents of Los Angeles are being affected and business owners as well. And so just all our thoughts and prayers out to everybody in LA who is losing homes and businesses and just seeing incredible destruction happening right now. And in particular, any, laundromat owners who are being affected.
Jordan Berry [00:01:31]:
If there’s anything that I or the laundromat resource team can do or the community can do, feel free to reach out Jordan, jordan@laundromatresource dotcom. Okay. Listen, we gotta move over to, some laundromats and food because what goes better together than laundromats and food? And I just wanted to shout out the no name laundromat in Brockton that is making some pretty special muffins, that are, you know, they’re they’re making the news over here. So congrats to Sam Cohen who’s been, you know, whipping these things up since 1983. It’s a laundromat slash bakery and, brushing it over there. Love that. And I also want to shout out Mary’s Cafe and Koine Laundry, which made number 6 on the top 20 best Cuban food restaurants in Miami. Listen, a laundromat making number 6 on the best Cuban food in Miami of all places.
Jordan Berry [00:02:34]:
I feel like that’s a big deal. So shout out to Mary’s Cafe and coined a laundry. And not only that, every item on the cafe’s menu costs less than $6. So if you’re in the Miami area, South Florida area, go check out Mary’s Cafe. Grab some delicious Cuban food for under $6 and maybe do a little laundry while you’re there. Alright. I wanna just take a second and mourn the loss of John Cappadocci, who was considered New York’s most noble laundromat owner from Seinfeld. Maybe the most beloved laundromat owner in the world until, I don’t know, Ross Dodds came around and took over the title.
Jordan Berry [00:03:16]:
But, John Cappadocia died at the age of 83, recently. And listen, shout out to John for representing the laundromat industry well on television. Okay. I wanna also shout out, speaking of like doing cool stuff for the industry, there’s a literacy initiative to implement 250 new early education, activations in Pennsylvania, and that is with the Too Small TO Fail initiative, partnering up with the Barbara Bush Foundation and Local Laundromats. So they are working with laundromats and transforming laundromats spaces into literacy rich environments to try to get, kids up to up to educational speed by the time they enter kindergarten. So shout out to those guys for, partnering with Laundromats and recognizing just the community impact that Laundromats can have. Also, you know, as I mean, we’re speaking of the weather, we’re talking about LA, I guess it’s not really weather, but speaking of natural difficulties, you know, all over the country right now, there’s cold streaks happening all over the place and a lot of places are implementing, libraries, health departments, city halls, and laundromats as spots to get warm, for those who maybe are unhoused or, just don’t have any other place to get warm. So shout out to you laundromat owners around the country where, you know, people are struggling in the cold and and providing spaces for them to get warm.
Jordan Berry [00:04:54]:
I know that could be a tricky, that could be a tricky one for us because we typically don’t like people hanging out in our laundromats and scaring away our customers or taking up space for our customers. But, listen, that human element, we can’t forget it, and we are there to serve our community. So shout out to you guys, who are doing that. Okay. Listen. Every boy in my generation at one time or another probably had a crush on Kathy Ireland. So it’s fun to have Kathy Ireland in the laundromat needs today. But she’s been making waves in the laundromat industry lately where they are branding, laundromats and wash and fold and pick up and delivery services under Kathy Ireland’s laundry.
Jordan Berry [00:05:43]:
And so, obviously, if anybody out there knows Kathy, she should probably come on the podcast, so let’s make that happen. And then, but, you know, kind of more importantly, she’s partnering up with, with with some big money, people here, Main Street Holdings. I mean, so she’s partnering up with some big money here to launch locations, licensed locations, and and doing franchise for laundromats and also wash and fold and pick up and delivery. So listen, money is starting to trickle in here to our industry, and it’s more important than ever that we are on top of our game as laundromat owners. Okay? This is I’ve been saying this for a while. You’ve been hearing other people say this for a while. It’s no longer a set it and forget it business. We’ve got to run our businesses professionally because there’s big money and big names starting to come into our business.
Jordan Berry [00:06:40]:
So don’t sleep on, don’t sleep on these, on these hedge funds. Sorry. Don’t sleep on these hedge funds coming into our industry and making some waves. So be on top of your game. Welcome them because they’re gonna bring a lot of awareness, especially on the pickup and delivery and wash and fold side. And that’s something that we can capitalize, but you’ve gotta be running a tight ship. You’ve gotta be running a good business to be able to capitalize on this. So keep an eye on that, and, let’s see.
Jordan Berry [00:07:12]:
Let’s see what happens, and, hey. Maybe I can get Kathy Ireland on the podcast. Somebody help me make that happen. Okay. I wanna shout out to Sense who, again, is pushing the boundaries. They just launched Sense Assist. It’s the first AI powered call center built for laundry businesses. They’re use utilizing AI and human, interactions.
Jordan Berry [00:07:35]:
I’m sure you’ll be hearing more than, more from them, both on my channels and probably others as well, about Sense Assist and how it might help you with your business. But shout out to those guys for continually pushing the bounds and putting tools that were previously out of our reach as laundromat owners right back into our reach. And then the last couple stories, not to kinda end it on a downer, but the last couple stories, have to do with listen. Somebody stole, $1,000 worth of quarters in Burlington, and, you know, I don’t know if you’ve done coin collections lately, but $1,000 worth of quarters is heavy. That’s 4,000 quarters, and in in Burlington, Vermont there. So somebody broke in and stole that, somewhere around Christmas time. And also, somebody broke into, where was this one again? Oh, in Philadelphia. Somebody broke into a laundromat, refresh laundry in Philadelphia and stole the cash register and the store save along with the camera recording box.
Jordan Berry [00:08:39]:
And actually that happened to me one time where somebody broke into my laundromat and also just took the camera, memory the security camera box too. So, surveillance camera, box. So, listen. I I only bring that up because, listen, that’s sometimes that that kinda stuff happens, but now is a good time, start of the year, to just do a check and make sure everything is secure for you and your business is buttoned up, so that it doesn’t happen to you to continue serving your community well. And listen, it’s a brand new year. I’m super excited about this year. I think big, big things are in store for, laundromat owners who are taking care of their business. So be one of those laundromat owners.
Jordan Berry [00:09:25]:
I see big growth coming on self serve side and especially on the service side, the wash and full, pickup, and delivery. That’s gonna continue to grow. So if you haven’t jumped into that game, but you’ve been thinking about it, you’re not too late. Hey. Look more into that. And with that, that is the news for this week. We’ll be back with you again next week on a regular cadence now that the holidays are over and I am back in a rhythm. The news is back, baby.
Jordan Berry [00:09:54]:
And we will see you next week with the laundromat news today.
Spanish Summary
En este episodio de “Laundromat News Today” del 10 de enero de 2025, Jordan Berry, el anfitrión, ofrece una actualización sobre las noticias más recientes en la industria de las lavanderías. Se discuten temas internacionales, como la prohibición de fumar en lavanderías en Malasia. También hay noticias positivas sobre la reconstrucción de la única lavandería en Greenfield, Iowa, destruida por un tornado hace siete meses y su próxima reapertura.
Además, se mencionan los incendios forestales en Los Ángeles y cómo están afectando a los residentes y dueños de negocios, incluyendo las lavanderías. Berry también destaca la iniciativa de algunos lugares en el país para usar lavanderías como espacios de refugio durante las olas de frío.
El episodio menciona la popularidad de algunas lavanderías que también ofrecen comida, como una en Brockton conocida por sus muffins especiales y el Café de Mary en Miami, que se ganó un lugar en la lista de los 20 mejores restaurantes de comida cubana.
Berry lamenta la muerte de John Cappadocci, un conocido propietario de lavanderías en Nueva York, y destaca una iniciativa de alfabetización en Pensilvania que transforma las lavanderías en entornos ricos en actividades educativas.
Se menciona el ingreso de grandes inversiones en la industria de las lavanderías, como la colaboración de Kathy Ireland con inversores significativos para lanzar franquicias de lavanderías y servicios de recolección y entrega. Además, se presenta Sense Assist, el primer centro de llamadas impulsado por IA para negocios de lavandería.
Finalmente, se informa sobre recientes robos en lavanderías en Burlington y Filadelfia, y se subraya la importancia de la seguridad en los negocios. Berry anima a los propietarios de lavanderías a mantenerse diligentes y preparados para un año de crecimiento y oportunidades en la industria.
