SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · COLORADO
Cold Stone Creamery franchise in Colorado: what the public record shows
Franchisees of Cold Stone Creamery in Colorado have taken 42 SBA loans in the FY1991–present FOIA files (average $253,071). Those approved through FY2020 defaulted at a rate not clearly different from franchise loans made in the same years nationally: 10 charge-offs among 34 resolved loans, where about 7.3 would be expected (1.4×). Cold Stone Creamery's national ratio is 1.4×.
Loans in CO
42
Charged off (all years)
10 of 34
Loss ratio in CO (not clear)
1.4×
Loss ratio nationally
1.4×
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = CO. 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
11,540
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
193.7
national 179.9
Versus the country
+8%
denser
Every business in Cold Stone Creamery's industry operating in Colorado — 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
$622
Colorado, BLS QCEW 2025
National average
$537
same industry, all states
Versus the country
+16%
costlier to staff
What Cold Stone Creamery's industry actually pays workers in Colorado, 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.
| System | Loans in CO | Charged off (all years) | Loss ratio in CO | Units in CO |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subway | 76 | 4 of 60 | 0.4× | 271 |
| Quiznos | 61 | 13 of 52 | 1.2×NOT CLEAR | — |
| DAIRY QUEEN | 44 | 5 of 33 | 0.9×NOT CLEAR | — |
| Papa Murphy'S | 43 | 1 of 31 | 0.2× | — |
| Culver's | 35 | 0 of 20 | — | — |
| Jimmy John's | 32 | 0 of 24 | — | — |
| Domino's Pizza | 24 | 1 of 20 | — | — |
| Wingstop | 23 | 0 of 19 | — | 54 |
| Firehouse Subs | 21 | 2 of 12 | — | 26 |
| Smoothie King | 19 | 3 of 8 | — | — |
| Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory | 18 | 2 of 12 | — | — |
| JERSEY MIKE'S | 17 | 0 of 10 | — | 57 |
Other systems in Cold Stone Creamery's sector whose franchisees borrowed in Colorado. 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 Cold Stone Creamery’s numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.