FRANCHISE·WATCH·DESK

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

Culver's franchise in Kansas: what the public record shows

Franchisees of Culver's in Kansas have taken 13 SBA loans in the FY1991–present FOIA files (average $918,400). Fewer than 30 of them were approved through FY2020 and have resolved, so no local loss ratio is published. Culver's's national ratio is 0.2×.

SBA loan outcomes · Kansasvs same-year franchise loans

Loans in KS

13

Charged off (all years)

0 of 9

Loss ratio in KS

—

Loss ratio nationally

0.2×

Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = KS. 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 · Kansas vs nationalTypical density

Businesses in this industry

4,984

statewide, all operators

Per 100k residents

167.8

national 179.9

Versus the country

-7%

thinner

Every business in Culver's's industry operating in Kansas — 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 · Kansas vs nationalBelow-average wages

Avg weekly wage, this industry

$433

Kansas, BLS QCEW 2025

National average

$537

same industry, all states

Versus the country

-19%

cheaper to staff

What Culver's's industry actually pays workers in Kansas, 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 Kansas12 systems
SystemLoans in KSCharged off (all years)Loss ratio in KSUnits in KS
Mr. Goodcents Subs & Pastas738 of 610.9×NOT CLEAR—
DAIRY QUEEN645 of 520.7×NOT CLEAR—
Subway463 of 390.5×NOT CLEAR194
Domino's Pizza334 of 22——
SCOOTER'S COFFEE220 of 11—76
Quiznos194 of 16——
Papa Murphy'S181 of 16——
IHOP130 of 9—28
Blimpie123 of 10——
Jimmy John's120 of 8——
Sonic Drive-In121 of 10——
Cold Stone Creamery103 of 8——

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

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