FRANCHISE·WATCH·DESK

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

Cicis Pizza franchise in Alabama: what the public record shows

Franchisees of Cicis Pizza in Alabama have taken 10 SBA loans in the FY1991–present FOIA files (average $322,910). Fewer than 30 of them were approved through FY2020 and have resolved, so no local loss ratio is published. Cicis Pizza's national ratio is 1.3×.

SBA loan outcomes · Alabamavs same-year franchise loans

Loans in AL

10

Charged off (all years)

0 of 9

Loss ratio in AL

—

Loss ratio nationally

1.3×

Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = AL. 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.

Market density · Alabama vs nationalTypical density

Businesses in this industry

7,968

statewide, all operators

Per 100k residents

154.5

national 179.9

Versus the country

-14%

thinner

Every business in Cicis Pizza's industry operating in Alabama — 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.

Labor cost · Alabama vs nationalBelow-average wages

Avg weekly wage, this industry

$444

Alabama, BLS QCEW 2025

National average

$537

same industry, all states

Versus the country

-17%

cheaper to staff

What Cicis Pizza's industry actually pays workers in Alabama, 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.

Same-sector systems with SBA loan history in Alabama12 systems
SystemLoans in ALCharged off (all years)Loss ratio in ALUnits in AL
Subway684 of 560.5×NOT CLEAR379
Zaxby's400 of 28——
DAIRY QUEEN366 of 26——
Domino's Pizza322 of 18——
Quiznos2711 of 26——
HUDDLE HOUSE141 of 12——
Jimmy John's133 of 13——
Bruster'S123 of 10——
Smoothie King121 of 8——
Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen110 of 8——
Blimpie101 of 7——
Church'S Fried Chicken101 of 6—18

Other systems in Cicis Pizza's sector whose franchisees borrowed in Alabama. A loss ratio appears only where at least 30 loans approved through FY2020 have resolved; “—” means too few.

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