FRANCHISE·WATCH·DESK

SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · TENNESSEE

Baskin-Robbins 31 Ice Cream franchise in Tennessee: what the public record shows

Franchisees of Baskin-Robbins 31 Ice Cream in Tennessee have taken 16 SBA loans since 1991 (average $97,668), and of the 12 loans whose story has ended, 16.7% were charged off — versus 17.4% for Baskin-Robbins 31 Ice Cream nationally and 14.8% across all rateable franchise brands.

SBA loan outcomes · Tennesseevs national

Loans in TN

16

Resolved

12

Local charge-off

16.7%

National charge-off

17.4%

Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = TN. Charge-off rate = charged-off ÷ (charged-off + paid-in-full); open loans excluded. A local rate is published only when the resolved cohort clears our floor.

Market density · Tennessee vs nationalTypical density

Businesses in this industry

12,160

statewide, all operators

Per 100k residents

168.2

national 179.9

Versus the country

-7%

thinner

Every business in Baskin-Robbins 31 Ice Cream's industry operating in Tennessee — franchised and independent — from the Census Bureau's County Business Patterns (2023), against 2024 population estimates. Counter-intuitively, density is not a warning: across 198 brand-state cells in our loan data, the densest quartile charges off at 5.6% versus 18.1% in the thinnest. A crowded market is usually proven demand; an empty one is often empty for a reason.

Same-sector systems with SBA loan history in Tennessee12 systems
SystemLoans in TNLocal charge-offUnits in TN
Zaxby's386.9%
Culver's200.0%
SCOOTER'S COFFEE20thin24
Marco's Pizza190.0%
Schlotzsky'S Sandwich Shop1938.9%
Cicis Pizza1835.3%
Quiznos1835.7%
Jimmy John's1620.0%
Smoothie King (Health Food Store)1630.0%
Domino's Pizza157.7%
Dunkin Donuts/Baskin-Robbins Co-Brand13thin
Blimpie12thin

Same sector, same state, same public records — how Baskin-Robbins 31 Ice Cream compares to the systems a buyer in Tennessee would actually be choosing between. Local rates under 10 resolved loans are marked thin, not hidden.

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