By Samuel López | USA Herald

A fast-growing car wash chain backed by Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce is facing a proposed multimillion-dollar class action in Texas over allegations that employees were paid only a fraction of performance bonuses they had been promised.

Tristen Cole Reeves, 28, of Converse, Texas, filed the lawsuit against Club Car Wash Operating LLC on May 27 in Bexar County District Court. Reeves is asking the court to certify a class that he estimates could include approximately 100 current and former employees.

The case has been assigned to state District Judge Nadine Nieto and seeks more than $2 million in damages and other relief. No class has yet been certified, meaning Reeves currently brings the allegations individually while seeking permission to represent a larger group.

Employee Claims More Than $21,000 Went Unpaid

According to the complaint, Reeves entered into a written employment agreement providing for a performance-based bonus if certain benchmarks were met.

He alleges he became entitled to a $29,028 bonus payable in March 2026 but ultimately received only $7,257 — exactly 25% of that amount. The alleged unpaid balance is $21,771.

Reeves claims the reduction was not unique to him.

According to allegations reported by the San Antonio Express-News, Club Car Wash managers informed employees during an April 28 Microsoft Teams meeting that bonuses provided for under their individual employment agreements would be paid at only 25% of the amounts otherwise owed.

The lawsuit further alleges that Reeves subsequently attempted to retrieve his employment documents through company resources but discovered his access had been locked, restricted or otherwise made unavailable.

His attorney sent a preservation letter to the company on April 29. Six days later, counsel contacted Club Car Wash Vice President of Operations Patrick Spellman requesting a discussion concerning the bonus dispute.

Reeves alleges he was terminated approximately two hours later for what the complaint characterizes as a pretextual policy violation.

Those assertions remain allegations. There has been no judicial determination that Club Car Wash improperly withheld bonuses or wrongfully terminated Reeves.

Why the Contract Claim Matters

Reeves is pursuing breach of contract and unjust enrichment theories rather than framing the case solely as a statutory wage action.

Texas law specifically recognizes that commissions and bonuses are payable according to the terms of an agreement between an employer and employee. Texas courts have also held that the Texas Payday Law's administrative procedure is an alternative remedy rather than the exclusive method for pursuing unpaid compensation.

That distinction could become important if Reeves produces written agreements containing substantially similar bonus provisions for employees across the proposed class.

But identifying 100 potentially affected workers does not automatically create a class action.

Under Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 42, Reeves must establish requirements including numerosity, common questions, typicality and adequate representation. Depending on the type of class sought, the court may also have to determine whether common legal or factual questions predominate over employee-specific issues and whether class treatment is superior to individual lawsuits.

Individual employment agreements, differing performance targets or different bonus calculations could therefore become significant when Judge Nieto eventually considers certification.

Travis Kelce Is an Owner but Not a Defendant

Kelce's connection to the dispute comes through his investment in Club Car Wash — not through any allegation that he participated in the company's employment decisions.

Club Car Wash announced Kelce as a new ownership partner in February 2021, saying he had joined the company after learning about the industry's growth prospects. Kelce's Eighty-Seven & Running foundation was also associated with charitable initiatives involving the company.

Kelce is not named as a defendant in Reeves' lawsuit, and USA Herald found no allegation that he participated in setting, reducing or administering the disputed employee bonuses.

The distinction is legally important. An ownership interest in a limited liability company ordinarily does not, standing alone, make an investor personally responsible for the company's contractual employment obligations.

Club Car Wash Has Faced Employee Litigation Before

The latest dispute follows an earlier federal case filed in Missouri in 2024 by maintenance technicians who alleged Club Car Wash improperly classified certain workers as exempt from overtime requirements.

That case settled before a court ruled on collective-action certification. Club Car Wash denied liability while agreeing to establish a settlement fund of up to $600,000. Settlement filings indicated approximately 52 full-time maintenance technicians could have been eligible.

Club Car Wash has meanwhile expanded dramatically from its beginnings as Tiger Express Car Wash in Columbia, Missouri, in 2006. The company rebranded in 2019 and reached its 250th location in 2025 after expanding across numerous states.

For Reeves, however, the immediate question is much narrower.

If the court concludes that employees were working under materially similar bonus agreements and were subjected to the same alleged 75% reduction, what began as one employee's $21,771 dispute could become a significantly larger contractual battle.

And while Kelce's celebrity makes the lawsuit more visible, the legal fight itself will turn on decidedly less glamorous evidence — employment agreements, bonus formulas, company communications and what Club Car Wash actually promised its workers.

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