Brakes, oil change, and a cordon bleu panini, please
At car dealerships, customer luxury is now a standard feature
A visitor is walking on Italian marble floors, gazing up at the 30-foot skylighted ceilings that flood the cavernous room with warmth. "Let's head over to the cafe," says Vincent Liuzzi, the general manager. He orders a latte with an extra shot of espresso; his guest chooses Chinese green tea from among several varieties.
"Would you like a bagel or a Danish with that?" asks the young woman behind the counter.
In a nearby lounge, men and women sit on leather sofas and chairs, sip lattes, peruse magazines such as Forbes and Yachting, or watch "The Ellen Degeneres Show" on the 60-inch flat-screen TV.
"On the weekends, we put it on sports, and it's hard to get people out of here," Liuzzi says.
This is not an upscale hotel or yuppie coffee emporium. It's a car dealership - Herb Chambers's 110,000-square-foot Lexus showroom on Route 1 in Sharon, which cost more than $30 million to build. There's a "Zen garden" with bamboo and fountain, a children's playroom with its own flat-screen TV, bathrooms that rival those in the Four Seasons, a marble fireplace in the customer lounge, a business center with WiFi and sound-absorbing walls, cubicles with eight computers, and a boutique that sells Lexus products from stuffed animals to watches. There's even pottery for sale, made by an employee who does it on the side.
If you happen to be at the dealership around lunchtime, you can grab a high-top table at the Espresso Bar and order a free salad or wrap - cookies and beverage included.
Chambers, who says he has 42 showrooms in New England, is smitten with his flagship store but kind of wishes he'd included a virtual golf driving range. "That would have been really neat," he says, "but it would have been really loud."
Route 1, stretching from Westwood to Sharon, is nicknamed the Automile for the sundry dealerships located here. Gone are the grim, drafty joints where people would wait to pick up - or pick out - their vehicle. Now, customers are invited to bring the kids and enjoy the "experience." From popcorn to playrooms, boutiques to business centers, gardens to golf, dealerships are scarcely recognizable anymore. "Guests" are greeted at reception desks by "concierges" and in the service area by "valets."
Adam Sholley, managing partner of Swardlick Marketing Group, says it's all about branding: separating yourself from a crowded field. "Dealers create these showroom theatrics in order to envelop their customers with a differentiated brand experience, deepening the emotional connection between customer and brand." The brand that makes you feel like part of the family is likely to be most successful, he says.
Ernie Boch Jr., whose family has been in the automobile business since 1946, says it is about more than the car these days. "People expect when they're spending their hard-earned money to be treated right and have a nice experience," he says. Two years ago he added Ernie's Cafe to his
"Over the years, the bar has been raised, so people expect more," he says. But he's hardly complaining. His Toyota dealership - with the cafe, a lounge, children's playroom with miniature toilet and sink, free popcorn, and artwork on its walls - boasts that it is the "third largest on the planet." Next door, his
"I think these things create an atmosphere that is enticing for people, so ultimately it is better for business," Boch says.
At Herb Chambers Lexus, Matilda Dumbrill of Westwood eats a salad while she waits for her car to be serviced. "It's very good," she says of the salad. So was the coffee and the mini-eclair she ordered at the Espresso Bar - all complimentary.
"This place reminds me of the Mercier Champagne place we visited this summer in France, with all this glass and the impressive layout and the trees right now, which are beautiful," she says. "It's really elegant."
The Lexus dealership, with its huge portico - fountain to come - has been likened to a Vegas casino, a luxury hotel, or even an art museum with its lofty space and natural light. All the furniture came from the Boston Design Center.
In fact, New England Cable News is hosting its "TV Diner" Platinum Plate Gala not at a tony restaurant or hotel but at the dealership. Next Saturday, 20 celebrity chefs will bring signature dishes to the Lexus showroom in a $100-a-head benefit for Community Servings. There will be live music, an auction hosted by "TV Diner" 's Billy Costa and comedian Lenny Clarke, and lots of bold-faced names among the 1,000 guests.
"Herb Chambers opened the platinum plate of dealerships," says Costa, who awards "platinum plate" honors to the best restaurants reviewed on his show. "It's an over-the-top place. When I went there, I said, 'Wow!' It just seemed like the perfect place."
"People are wowed by it," agrees Chambers, who threw a red-carpet opening party in September, when 2,000 people were greeted by Japanese drummers and served champagne and hors d'oeuvres before heading for sushi bars and food stations. Though Chambers believes his dealership is state-of-the-art, he knows it won't be long before someone else comes along and tops it.
"I think we have bragging rights for about a year or two," he says.
It may not even be that long. In Norwood, BMW Gallery is building a three-level showroom with many of the same features as the Lexus place - plus a proposed putting green for golfers who are waiting for their cars. And Mercedes-Benz of Westwood already has one - on its roof. On a recent Saturday, the dealership offered half-hour private lessons with a golf pro. The entire day was booked solid. While waiting for their cars, customers can putt on their own.
"We've looked at adding batting cages," says general manager Tom Silva. "This business is getting more and more sophisticated, and we're trying to think out of the box." Increasingly, he says, manufacturers are telling dealers to offer extras. "They say build a new facility and people will come. We've had consistent increases since the day we opened nearly four years ago."
BMW Gallery, scheduled to open in January, will include 130,000 square feet. Plans call for a cappuccino cafe, three-level showroom, three customer lounges with leather chairs and flat-panel TVs, a fleet of loaner cars, a children's zone, putting green, radiant heat, and two concierge desks.
"It really has become more about the experience of buying a car than anything else," says Kevin Misanko, general sales manager. "And we want to make sure we can offer premium BMW experience."
On a recent weekday at Boch Toyota, David Meisse of Canton waits while his Corolla is being serviced. Since it's noontime, he decides to have a bowl of the Italian wedding soup ($3.95) at the cafe. "I think something like this definitely builds good will, because they treat people very well," he says. "It's actually nice to come here, considering the reason you're here. They make it as pleasant an experience as possible."
Blues musician James Montgomery recently drove up from Newport, R.I., to get his Camry Hybrid serviced there. With free coffee and popcorn, plus his cellphone, he's all set. "I prefer to come up here with all the amenities," he says. "I just relax and hang out." 