SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · MISSOURI
A&W franchise in Missouri: what the public record shows
Franchisees of A&W in Missouri have taken 6 SBA loans in the FY1991–present FOIA files (average $245,125). Fewer than 30 of them were approved through FY2020 and have resolved, so no local loss ratio is published. A&W's national ratio is 1.2× (not clearly different from 1.0×). Its latest FDD Item 20 state table reports 5 franchised outlets in Missouri (fiscal 2025) — about 0.08 per 100k residents.
Loans in MO
6
Charged off (all years)
1 of 5
Loss ratio in MO
—
Loss ratio nationally (not clear)
1.2×
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = MO. Loss ratio = charge-offs among loans approved through FY2020 ÷ the charge-offs expected if each had defaulted at the national rate for franchise loans approved the same year; 1.0× is the same. Only charged-off and paid-in-full loans count. A ratio is shown at 30+ such loans; “not clear” marks a ratio chance alone could produce. The all-years count mixes every era and is evidence, not a rate to compare. Borrowers are matched to the brand by name and SBA franchise code; some matches may be wrong or missing.
Businesses in this industry
10,459
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
167.5
national 179.9
Versus the country
-7%
thinner
Every business in A&W's industry operating in Missouri — franchised and independent — from the Census Bureau's County Business Patterns (2023), against 2024 population estimates. Counter-intuitively, density is not a warning: across the brand-state cells in the loan data, denser markets have historically charged off less often than the thinnest (see the research page). A crowded market is usually proven demand; an empty one is often empty for a reason.
Avg weekly wage, this industry
$485
Missouri, BLS QCEW 2025
National average
$537
same industry, all states
Versus the country
-10%
cheaper to staff
What A&W's industry actually pays workers in Missouri, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (2025), employment-weighted across counties. This cost signal is independent of the FDD: a market can look demand-rich above and still carry a margin headwind here if local wages run hot for the sector.
| Fiscal year | Franchised | Company-owned |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 5 | — |
| 2023 | 5 | — |
| 2024 | 5 | — |
| 2024 | 5 | — |
| 2025 | 5 | — |
| 2025 | 5 | — |
| System | Loans in MO | Charged off (all years) | Loss ratio in MO | Units in MO |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subway | 117 | 4 of 93 | 0.3× | 405 |
| DAIRY QUEEN | 96 | 6 of 73 | 0.6×NOT CLEAR | — |
| Quiznos | 78 | 20 of 64 | 1.3×NOT CLEAR | — |
| Mr. Goodcents Subs & Pastas | 71 | 8 of 59 | 0.8×NOT CLEAR | — |
| Culver's | 62 | 1 of 40 | 0.1× | — |
| Jimmy John's | 43 | 1 of 31 | 0.2×NOT CLEAR | — |
| Domino's Pizza | 38 | 2 of 25 | — | — |
| Little Caesars | 26 | 1 of 19 | — | — |
| Papa Murphy'S | 26 | 2 of 21 | — | — |
| Smoothie King | 25 | 1 of 14 | — | — |
| Blimpie | 21 | 4 of 17 | — | — |
| Cold Stone Creamery | 21 | 5 of 18 | — | — |
Other systems in A&W's sector whose franchisees borrowed in Missouri. A loss ratio appears only where at least 30 loans approved through FY2020 have resolved; “—” means too few.
A broker is usually paid by the franchisor to place you. I'm paid only by you, never by a franchisor you're considering — and the job is pressure-testing A&W’s numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.