After a year of clearing, site work and construction, Tidal Wave Auto Spa announced on its website earlier this week it would open its second car wash in Statesboro on March 27 at the corner of Veterans Memorial Parkway and Highway 80 East, next to the Parker’s store.

The business is currently hiring employees and doing training ahead of the opening.

Prior to construction beginning in February 2023, the property sat dormant for more than two years on the site where the International House of Pancakes restaurant sat for years. IHOP's parent company, Dine Brands, sold the property in January 2022 for approximately $2 million.

Tidal Wave was founded in 1999 by Scott and Hope Blackstock in Thomaston. The company now operates more than 230 car wash locations across 24 states. 

Tidal Wave took over the W4 Express Car Wash on Fair Road in February 2022. Initially, the company was planning to build a car wash in the Eagles Corner Shopping Center behind Publix. In the wake of Tidal Wave's decision to build elsewhere, other plans for that site have not been announced.

The closing of the Statesboro IHOP was part of Dine Brands' strategy of closing underperforming stores, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which hit the restaurant industry hard.