SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · TENNESSEE
DAIRY QUEEN franchise in Tennessee: what the public record shows
Franchisees of DAIRY QUEEN in Tennessee have taken 35 SBA loans in the FY1991–present FOIA files (average $500,428). Fewer than 30 of them were approved through FY2020 and have resolved, so no local loss ratio is published. DAIRY QUEEN's national ratio is 0.6×.
Loans in TN
35
Charged off (all years)
2 of 26
Loss ratio in TN
—
Loss ratio nationally
0.6×
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = TN. 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
12,160
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
168.2
national 179.9
Versus the country
-7%
thinner
Every business in DAIRY QUEEN's industry operating in Tennessee — 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
$503
Tennessee, BLS QCEW 2025
National average
$537
same industry, all states
Versus the country
-6%
cheaper to staff
What DAIRY QUEEN's industry actually pays workers in Tennessee, 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 TN | Charged off (all years) | Loss ratio in TN | Units in TN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subway | 49 | 1 of 42 | 0.1× | 524 |
| Zaxby's | 38 | 2 of 29 | — | — |
| Culver's | 20 | 0 of 13 | — | — |
| SCOOTER'S COFFEE | 20 | 0 of 2 | — | 24 |
| Marco's Pizza | 19 | 0 of 11 | — | — |
| Schlotzsky'S | 19 | 7 of 18 | — | — |
| Cicis Pizza | 18 | 6 of 17 | — | — |
| Firehouse Subs | 18 | 0 of 9 | — | 48 |
| Quiznos | 18 | 5 of 14 | — | — |
| Baskin-Robbins | 16 | 2 of 12 | — | — |
| Jimmy John's | 16 | 2 of 10 | — | — |
| Smoothie King | 16 | 3 of 10 | — | — |
Other systems in DAIRY QUEEN's sector whose franchisees borrowed in Tennessee. 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 DAIRY QUEEN’s numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.