15 SBA loans have financed Bandag locations since 1992, written by 12 different lenders across 11 states. Half were approved for $250K or less, the mix is a mix of 7(a) and 504, and 0% went to owners whose business was under two years old.
A lender that has already underwritten this brand knows the unit economics, the build-out costs, and the franchisor. That is worth more to you than a bigger bank starting from scratch.