How much does a Grease Filter Exchange Route cost to buy?

A typical Grease Filter Exchange Route sells for 2x to 4.5x seller's discretionary earnings. With estimated SDE of $87K, expect to pay roughly $174K to $391K before adjustments for assets, debt, growth, and local market quality.

How much does it cost to start a Grease Filter Exchange Route?

Startup costs range from $12K to $120K depending on location, equipment, and scale.

Route

Grease Filter Exchange Route

Q: What are the profit margins for a Grease Filter Exchange Route?

The average profit margin for a Grease Filter Exchange Route is around 31%. Costs include filters, washing equipment or outsourced cleaning, vans, labor, detergents, wastewater handling, insurance, and route software. Gross margins improve when stops are clustered and accounts use standardized filter sizes.

Swap the dirtiest restaurant part before it becomes a fire problem

Bottom line

Operator-friendly model; diligence should focus on acquisition price.

Grease filter exchange routes swap dirty hood baffle filters at restaurants, cafeterias, hotels, and commercial kitchens on a recurring schedule. Instead of deep-cleaning filters on-site, the operator leaves clean filters, removes the dirty set, washes them centrally, and returns them to circulation.

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Acquisition score

Strong

Avg Revenue

$280K

Profit Margin

31%

Acquisition Multiple

2x - 4.5x

Startup Cost

$12K - $120K

How It Works

The route signs kitchens to weekly, biweekly, or monthly exchanges, inventories each hood's filter sizes, swaps clean filters during scheduled stops, washes dirty filters at a central facility, and bills recurring service fees.

Revenue Range

Low End

$90K

Typical

$280K

High End

$900K

Pros

+Recurring route revenue tied to fire safety and kitchen cleanliness
+Simple service that restaurants understand immediately
+Can cross-sell hood cleaning, rooftop grease containment, and grease trap service
+Route density makes small accounts profitable over time

Cons

-Restaurant churn and late payments can be annoying
-Filter inventory and washing workflow must be organized
-Messy work with grease, odors, and after-hours access constraints

Best For

Commercial kitchen service operators who want a simple recurring route add-on

Operating Costs

Costs include filters, washing equipment or outsourced cleaning, vans, labor, detergents, wastewater handling, insurance, and route software. Gross margins improve when stops are clustered and accounts use standardized filter sizes.

SBA Financing Estimator

Adjust the deal — see if it cash flows after debt service

$-1429/mo

after debt service

Deal price — $840K

Range: $420K (2×) to $1.5M (4.5×+)

Down payment — 15% ($126K)

SBA minimum equity injection is 10% for change-of-ownership

Interest rate — 8.00%

Current prime-based SBA rates: 7.5–10.5%

Loan term — 10 years (120 mo)

Standard SBA 7(a): 10 years for business acquisition

Down payment

$126K

15% equity injection

Loan amount

$714K

85% SBA-financed

Monthly payment

$9K/mo

$326K total interest

Monthly profit

$7K/mo

at 31% margin

Monthly cash flow after debt service

$-1429/mo

Margin does not cover debt service at these terms. Lower the deal price, increase the down payment, or extend the loan term.

Estimates only. Excludes owner compensation, capex, working capital draws, and taxes. Margin assumes average occupancy and volume. Actual SBA terms vary by lender and borrower profile.