73 SBA loans have financed Merlin's Muffler locations since 1991, written by 21 different lenders across 4 states. Half were approved for $162K or less, the mix is almost entirely 7(a), and 48% 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.