SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · SOUTH CAROLINA
Meineke franchise in South Carolina: what the public record shows
Franchisees of Meineke in South Carolina have taken 19 SBA loans since 1991 (average $281,878), and of the 14 loans whose story has ended, 28.6% were charged off — versus 25.3% for Meineke nationally and 14.8% across all rateable franchise brands.
Loans in SC
19
Resolved
14
Local charge-off
28.6%
National charge-off
25.3%
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = SC. 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
1,337
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
24.4
national 30.2
Versus the country
-19%
thinner
Every business in Meineke's industry operating in South Carolina — 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.
| System | Loans in SC | Local charge-off | Units in SC |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aamco Transmissions | 13 | thin | — |
| All Tune and Lube | 10 | thin | — |
| Grease Monkey | 9 | thin | — |
| Maaco Auto Painting Center | 9 | thin | — |
| Exxon | 7 | thin | — |
| Cottman Transmission | 5 | thin | — |
Same sector, same state, same public records — how Meineke compares to the systems a buyer in South Carolina 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. An independent CPA is paid by you — and the job is pressure-testing Meineke's numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.
Talk to an independent CPA before you buy →