How Mo Khalid Built A Customer-Obsessed Machine

Running a national franchise network at scale demands more than operational acumen—it requires a leader who threads strategy into every customer touchpoint. Mo Khalid brings that rare blend. As EVP and group president of Take 5 Oil Change under Driven Brands, he has helped steer the Louisiana-born brand’s expansion into a network of more than 1,000 locations nationwide—all while maintaining its hallmark focus on speed, convenience and friendliness.

In this interview, Khalid shares his path from finance to frontline operations, the systems behind Take 5’s rapid growth, and how the company is using pop-culture partnerships and emerging technology to make car maintenance faster, simpler and more human for today’s drivers.

How did you go from Wall Street to your current role?

I started my career in finance, working at J.P. Morgan Chase and Deutsche Bank. This experience gave me a solid foundation of knowledge in how businesses run from a financial standpoint, but I realized early on that I was more drawn to operations.

I wanted to be closer to the teams, customers and day-to-day challenges of running a business. This understanding led me to roles at Burger King and Starwood Hotels, where I gained experience in operations and guest experiences at a massive scale.

Eventually, I joined Driven Brands as the COO of Meineke, which is where I was immersed in the franchise model and the automotive service industry. Following my time with Meineke, I moved into a senior leadership role at Great Wolf Lodge, overseeing field operations for all the resorts, including regional leadership, labor management and guest experience.

When the opportunity arose to return to Driven Brands in a broader role, it felt like the right next step. My background has always combined finance, operations and customer experience, and those pieces come together in a really meaningful way in this role.

Under your leadership, Take 5 Oil Change has grown from a small rapid oil change business in New Orleans to a nationwide brand. What led to that growth?

When I took on a leadership role at Take 5 Oil Change, the mission was clear: build a brand rooted in speed, convenience and friendliness—powered by great people. From the beginning, our unwavering focus on both customers and employees became our guiding principle. We understood that meaningful, sustainable growth would only come by keeping the customer experience at the heart of everything we do, even as we scaled.

Achieving that meant creating systems and processes that could grow with us, without ever losing the personal, human touch. Whether it’s a customer’s first visit or their tenth, the experience should always feel easy, efficient and personal. That’s what drives real loyalty—and in today’s competitive world, loyalty matters more than ever.

We have a world-class Net Promoter Score, not just within our industry, but compared to top brands across all industries. A key contributor to that success is our “Pit Tech to President” program, which empowers individuals with strong customer service skills to grow within the company. Over 70 percent of our field leadership has been promoted from within.

It’s this commitment to people and process that defines our brand, and drives exceptional 4-wall financial performance.

Please share more about your innovative marketing strategy with Apple Original Films’ F1 The Movie, starring Brad Pitt?

We’re really excited about our partnership with F1 The Movie. It’s a high-energy, high-visibility collaboration that just makes sense for Take 5 Oil Change. The film is all about speed, precision and performance, everything we aim to deliver in our shops every day. We’re leaning into it with a full campaign of in-store promotions, sweepstakes, digital content and even a new version of our “Take 5 Clive” advertising character.

One of the things we’re most excited about is how this partnership allows us to connect with both racing fans and everyday drivers in a way that’s fresh and unexpected. It’s not just a movie tie-in, it’s about showing that car maintenance doesn’t have to be boring.

At the end of the day, it’s an innovative way to bridge pop culture with an everyday essential, and hopefully make people think differently about getting their oil changed.

What’s next for Take 5 Oil Change?

We’re focused on growth as we look to double our store count over the next five years while staying true to what makes our model work: a fast, friendly, and simple experience.

As we expand nationally and take market share, we’re refining our brand strategy to support that growth, making sure our brand resonates as a trusted, recognizable name coast to coast. We’re also leveraging technology and AI to enhance both speed and service quality, helping our teams move faster without sacrificing the personal experience our customers expect.

Our franchise business is the engine driving this next phase, and we’re laser focused on supporting unit-level profitability. As we scale, we’re not just adding locations, we’re building a system rooted in operational excellence, empowered people and strong local operators who bring our brand to life every day.