A Charlotte startup wants to reinvent the laundromat experience, starting with three new Atlanta locations.
2ULaundry, a laundry delivery service, is launching the LaundroLab, a franchise of branded laundromats that has a “welcoming, clean and modern atmosphere,” co-founder Dan D’Aquisto said.
D’Aquisto said the startup’s first franchisee has plans for three locations in the Atlanta area. The locations will be modeled off the first LaundroLab location in Charlotte, built before the pandemic. The location became profitable in two months, D'Aquisto said, grossing $582,000 in revenue in 2019 and $625,000 in 2020.
Creating a laundromat franchise was not in the plans for 2ULaundry before the pandemic hit, D’Aquisto said.
When Covid-19 brought the economy to a screeching halt, people no longer needed as much dry cleaning — or laundry in general, D’Aquisto said. That drastic shift in consumer behavior brought 2ULaundry’s revenue down 70% overnight.
Instead of expanding delivery service in Atlanta and Raleigh, N.C., as planned, D’Aquisto said the startup hunkered down to make sure the business could come out on the other side.
2ULaundry had already planned to build its own laundromats instead of outsourcing the laundry delivery service to other, local laundromats. But because of the pandemic, the startup wanted to expedite this process through franchising.
"In the franchising space, the laundromat industry stands out because it is essential,” D’Aquisto said. “It’s a recession- and pandemic-resistant model. You couple that with it being a business that almost runs itself, and it’s really exciting.”
2ULaundry partners with global appliance company Electrolux for the laundromat equipment. D’Aquisto said each location will also have free Wi-Fi, ample folding space, TVs, a kid’s area, games, vending machines and a loyalty reward program. There will also always be an employee on duty.
“Those are the simple things you need to apply to this business to really stand out,” D’Aquisto said.
D’Aquisto said the company has about 10 franchise deals in the pipeline, mostly in the Southeast and Texas.
2ULaundry’s delivery services are still on a temporary hold, but D’Aquisto is hopeful it will return by the summer, using the LaundroLab locations whenever possible.
"The pandemic made the team stronger, more connected,” D’Aquisto said. “The culture and transparency is better. The momentum and energy of the team has never been at the height it’s at now.”
2ULaundry already has a presence in Atlanta as a 2017 Techstars Atlanta graduate. Techstars and Cox Enterprises helped fund the startup in its early stages. In 2019, 2ULaundry raised a $6 million Series A, which D’Aquisto said helped give the company some breathing room as it worked through its pandemic pivot.
