FRANCHISE·WATCH·DESK

SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · IDAHO

Grease Monkey franchise in Idaho: what the public record shows

Franchisees of Grease Monkey in Idaho have taken 10 SBA loans in the FY1991–present FOIA files (average $725,850). Fewer than 30 of them were approved through FY2020 and have resolved, so no local loss ratio is published. Grease Monkey's national ratio is 0.8× (not clearly different from 1.0×).

SBA loan outcomes · Idahovs same-year franchise loans

Loans in ID

10

Charged off (all years)

0 of 7

Loss ratio in ID

—

Loss ratio nationally (not clear)

0.8×

Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = ID. Loss ratio = charge-offs among loans approved through FY2020 ÷ the charge-offs expected if each had defaulted at the national rate for franchise loans approved the same year; 1.0× is the same. Only charged-off and paid-in-full loans count. A ratio is shown at 30+ such loans; “not clear” marks a ratio chance alone could produce. The all-years count mixes every era and is evidence, not a rate to compare. Borrowers are matched to the brand by name and SBA franchise code; some matches may be wrong or missing.

Market density · Idaho vs nationalTypical density

Businesses in this industry

664

statewide, all operators

Per 100k residents

33.2

national 30.2

Versus the country

+10%

denser

Every business in Grease Monkey's industry operating in Idaho — franchised and independent — from the Census Bureau's County Business Patterns (2023), against 2024 population estimates. Counter-intuitively, density is not a warning: across the brand-state cells in the loan data, denser markets have historically charged off less often than the thinnest (see the research page). A crowded market is usually proven demand; an empty one is often empty for a reason.

Labor cost · Idaho vs nationalTypical wages

Avg weekly wage, this industry

$958

Idaho, BLS QCEW 2025

National average

$1,002

same industry, all states

Versus the country

-4%

cheaper to staff

What Grease Monkey's industry actually pays workers in Idaho, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (2025), employment-weighted across counties. This cost signal is 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.

Same-sector systems with SBA loan history in Idaho7 systems
SystemLoans in IDCharged off (all years)Loss ratio in IDUnits in ID
Chevron (Gas Station)250 of 21——
BIG O TIRES192 of 12—7
Texaco Service Station141 of 11——
Meineke105 of 10——
JIFFY LUBE70 of 3—22
Aamco Transmissions60 of 4——
Exxon60 of 4——

Other systems in Grease Monkey's sector whose franchisees borrowed in Idaho. A loss ratio appears only where at least 30 loans approved through FY2020 have resolved; “—” means too few.

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