PRIVATE EQUITY OWNED
Driven Brands
Includes Meineke, Maaco, Take 5 Oil Change, Take 5, CARSTAR, 1-800-Radiator, DRVN
auto repair & services · Charlotte, NC
- PE Firm
- Roark Capital →
- Year Acquired
- 2015
The largest auto repair empire in North America. Your oil change funds franchise fees to a PE firm.
The PE Playbook
- Roark Capital acquired Driven Brands from Harvest Partners in April 2015, then rolled up Meineke, Maaco, Take 5, CARSTAR, and 1-800-Radiator into the largest automotive services company in North America
- IPO'd on NASDAQ in January 2021 (ticker: DRVN) raising $700M — Roark retains a significant stake and continues to influence operations while collecting both management fees and public-market gains
- Dumped the car wash business in 2025 for $385M (U.S.) and $471M (international) to 'focus on core strengths' — after years of aggressive acquisition left the company with billions in debt
- Nearly one-third of Meineke's 280 SBA-backed franchise loans have defaulted — the PE approach works great for the parent company, less so for the franchisees actually doing the work
Since the Acquisition
- Take 5 Oil Change carries an F rating from the BBB with 300+ complaints in a single year — drivers report engine damage, oil leaks, and overheating after routine oil changes
- Jacksonville, FL police reported 45 officers experienced 'substandard' work on patrol vehicles at Take 5, requiring costly additional repairs
- Meineke locations have been caught recommending expensive unnecessary repairs — documented cases of shops claiming vehicles needed work that a second mechanic found entirely fabricated
- Franchise churn means your 'trusted local mechanic' is actually a rotating cast of operators squeezed between corporate royalty fees and pressure to upsell