SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · ARKANSAS
Church'S Fried Chicken franchise in Arkansas: what the public record shows
Franchisees of Church'S Fried Chicken in Arkansas have taken 5 SBA loans since 1991 (average $264,040)— 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 21.0% is the better guide.
Loans in AR
5
Resolved
2
Local charge-off
thin
National charge-off
21.0%
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = AR. 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
4,937
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
159.9
national 179.9
Versus the country
-11%
thinner
Every business in Church'S Fried Chicken's industry operating in Arkansas — 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.
| System | Loans in AR | Local charge-off | Units in AR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domino's Pizza | 15 | 7.7% | — |
| Quiznos | 10 | thin | — |
| Jimmy John's | 7 | thin | — |
| Tropical Smoothie Cafe | 7 | thin | 32 |
| Cicis Pizza | 6 | thin | — |
| Daylight Donut Shop | 6 | thin | — |
| Jersey Mike's Subs | 6 | thin | — |
| Smoothie King (Health Food Store) | 6 | thin | — |
| Cold Stone Creamery | 5 | thin | — |
| Dunkin Donuts/Baskin-Robbins Co-Brand | 5 | thin | — |
| Popeye'S Famous Fried Chicken | 5 | thin | — |
| Simple Simon'S Pizza | 5 | thin | — |
Same sector, same state, same public records — how Church'S Fried Chicken compares to the systems a buyer in Arkansas 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. An independent CPA is paid by you — and the job is pressure-testing Church'S Fried Chicken's numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.
Talk to an independent CPA before you buy →