SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · NORTH CAROLINA
Bruster'S franchise in North Carolina: what the public record shows
Franchisees of Bruster'S in North Carolina have taken 9 SBA loans since 1991 (average $644,344)— too few resolved loans in-state to publish a local failure rate (we require a resolved cohort, never extrapolate), so the brand's national rate of 14.8% is the better guide.
Loans in NC
9
Resolved
5
Local charge-off
thin
National charge-off
14.8%
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = NC. 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 of 30 loans.
Businesses in this industry
19,235
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
174.1
national 179.9
Versus the country
-3%
thinner
Every business in Bruster'S's industry operating in North Carolina — 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.
Avg weekly wage, this industry
$469
North Carolina, BLS QCEW 2025
National average
$537
same industry, all states
Versus the country
-13%
cheaper to staff
What Bruster'S's industry actually pays workers in North Carolina, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (2025), employment-weighted across counties. This is a real cost signal 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.
| System | Loans in NC | Local charge-off | Units in NC |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quiznos | 61 | 16.1% | — |
| Zaxby's | 54 | 10.3% | — |
| Domino's Pizza | 34 | 0.0% | — |
| Dunkin Donuts/Baskin-Robbins Co-Brand | 33 | 6.9% | — |
| Firehouse Subs | 30 | 4.3% | 64 |
| Tropical Smoothie Cafe | 30 | 0.0% | 81 |
| Culver's | 28 | thin | — |
| Cicis Pizza | 27 | 14.8% | — |
| Jimmy John's | 27 | 5.3% | — |
| Golden Corral | 26 | 18.8% | — |
| Cold Stone Creamery | 25 | 41.2% | — |
| Marco's Pizza | 23 | 0.0% | — |
Same sector, same state, same public records — how Bruster'S compares to the systems a buyer in North Carolina would actually be choosing between. Local rates under 10 resolved loans are marked thin, not hidden.
A broker is paid by the franchisor to place you. I'm paid by you — and the job is pressure-testing Bruster'S's numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.