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

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

Margin · multiple · SBA data

63Strong

Avg revenue

$280K/yr

$90K–$900K range

Profit margin

31%

~$87K SDE

Multiple

2–4.5×

of SDE

Est. buy price

$174K–$391K

startup: $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.

BizBite verdict

Watch / verify

Grease Filter Exchange Route has enough high-level data for a first look, but BizBite has not assigned a category-specific operating model yet. Treat the score as preliminary.

63Strong

low data confidence · 40/100medium financing fit

Why it may work

+Attractive 31% estimated margin profile

Be careful

!Source link status has not been verified yet
!No last-checked date yet
!No SBA category enrichment yet
!No category operating model yet
!Low data confidence

Deal Calculator

Priced off $87K SDE — can this deal service its own debt?

2.29×

DSCR · Lender-comfortable

Purchase multiple — 3.0× SDE ($260K)

Category range: 2×–4.5× SDE

Down payment — 10% ($26K)

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

Interest rate — 10.50%

Typical SBA 7(a) range: 9.5–12% (prime-based)

Loan term — 10 years

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

Purchase price

$260K

3.0× of $87K SDE

Cash to close

$34K

$26K down + ~3% closing

Debt service

$3K/mo

$38K/yr on $234K loan

Cash-on-cash

145%

cash back in ~9 mo

Debt service coverage · what the lender sees

2.29×+$4K/mo after debt

Most SBA lenders want ≥1.25× coverage; 1.5×+ is a strong file.

SDE = revenue × margin estimate for this niche; it includes owner compensation, so budget your salary out of cash flow. Excludes working-capital injection, capex reserves, and taxes. Actual SBA terms vary by lender and borrower.

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.