SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · CALIFORNIA
Fantastic Sams franchise in California: what the public record shows
Franchisees of Fantastic Sams in California have taken 47 SBA loans in the FY1991–present FOIA files (average $170,443). Those approved through FY2020 defaulted at a rate not clearly different from franchise loans made in the same years nationally: 7 charge-offs among 39 resolved loans, where about 7.4 would be expected (0.9×). Fantastic Sams's national ratio is 1.2×.
Loans in CA
47
Charged off (all years)
7 of 39
Loss ratio in CA (not clear)
0.9×
Loss ratio nationally
1.2×
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = CA. 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
9,298
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
23.6
national 26.6
Versus the country
-11%
thinner
Every business in Fantastic Sams's industry operating in California — 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
$734
California, BLS QCEW 2025
National average
$698
same industry, all states
Versus the country
+5%
costlier to staff
What Fantastic Sams's industry actually pays workers in California, 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 CA | Charged off (all years) | Loss ratio in CA | Units in CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GREAT CLIPS | 65 | 8 of 57 | 0.9×NOT CLEAR | — |
| Sport Clips | 57 | 8 of 52 | 1.2×NOT CLEAR | 135 |
| European Wax Center | 45 | 1 of 28 | — | — |
| Planet Beach | 35 | 15 of 24 | — | — |
| SUPERCUTS | 32 | 0 of 22 | — | 318 |
| Amazing Lash Studio | 29 | 5 of 22 | — | 34 |
| The Lash Lounge | 15 | 1 of 8 | — | — |
| 18/8 Fine Men'S Salons | 13 | 0 of 12 | — | — |
| Hollywood Tans | 8 | 3 of 6 | — | — |
| WAXING THE CITY | 8 | 0 of 1 | — | — |
| Bishops | 7 | 1 of 7 | — | 9 |
| Hammer & Nails | 7 | 1 of 4 | — | 7 |
Other systems in Fantastic Sams's sector whose franchisees borrowed in California. 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 Fantastic Sams’ numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.