SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · MICHIGAN
Firehouse Subs franchise in Michigan: what the public record shows
Franchisees of Firehouse Subs in Michigan have taken 25 SBA loans since 1991 (average $277,772), and of the 17 loans whose story has ended, 11.8% were charged off — versus 11.1% for Firehouse Subs nationally and 14.8% across all rateable franchise brands. Its latest FDD Item 20 state table reports 23 franchised outlets in Michigan (fiscal 2017) — about 0.23 per 100k residents.
Loans in MI
25
Resolved
17
Local charge-off
11.8%
National charge-off
11.1%
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = MI. Charge-off rate = charged-off ÷ (charged-off + paid-in-full); open loans excluded. A local rate is published only when the resolved cohort clears our floor.
Businesses in this industry
16,801
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
165.7
national 179.9
Versus the country
-8%
thinner
Every business in Firehouse Subs's industry operating in Michigan — franchised and independent — from the Census Bureau's County Business Patterns (2023), against 2024 population estimates. Counter-intuitively, density is not a warning: across 198 brand-state cells in our loan data, the densest quartile charges off at 5.6% versus 18.1% in the thinnest. A crowded market is usually proven demand; an empty one is often empty for a reason.
Avg weekly wage, this industry
$473
Michigan, BLS QCEW 2025
National average
$537
same industry, all states
Versus the country
-12%
cheaper to staff
What Firehouse Subs's industry actually pays workers in Michigan, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (2025), employment-weighted across counties. This is a real cost signal independent of the FDD — a market can look demand-rich above and still carry a margin headwind here if local wages run hot for the sector.
| Fiscal year | Franchised | Company-owned |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 20 | — |
| 2016 | 25 | — |
| 2017 | 23 | — |
| System | Loans in MI | Local charge-off | Units in MI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biggby Coffee | 150 | 2.8% | — |
| Culver's | 89 | 3.9% | — |
| Jimmy John's | 72 | 0.0% | — |
| Jets Pizza | 71 | 0.0% | — |
| Quiznos | 71 | 20.6% | — |
| Tropical Smoothie Cafe | 42 | 0.0% | 124 |
| Little Ceasar'S Pizza | 37 | 6.7% | — |
| Dunkin Donuts/Baskin-Robbins Co-Brand | 34 | 26.9% | — |
| Hungry Howie'S | 31 | 5.9% | — |
| Arby's | 28 | 11.1% | — |
| Domino's Pizza | 28 | 11.1% | — |
| MENCHIE'S | 26 | 12.5% | — |
Same sector, same state, same public records — how Firehouse Subs compares to the systems a buyer in Michigan would actually be choosing between. Local rates under 10 resolved loans are marked thin, not hidden.
A broker is paid by the franchisor to place you. I'm paid by you — and the job is pressure-testing Firehouse Subs's numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.