SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · IOWA
Hardee's franchise in Iowa: what the public record shows
Franchisees of Hardee's in Iowa have taken 15 SBA loans since 1991 (average $629,866), and of the 13 loans whose story has ended, 0.0% were charged off — versus 22.9% for Hardee's nationally and 14.8% across all rateable franchise brands.
Loans in IA
15
Resolved
13
Local charge-off
0.0%
National charge-off
22.9%
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = IA. Charge-off rate = charged-off ÷ (charged-off + paid-in-full); open loans excluded. A local rate is published only when the resolved cohort clears our floor.
Businesses in this industry
5,253
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
162.1
national 179.9
Versus the country
-10%
thinner
Every business in Hardee's's industry operating in Iowa — franchised and independent — from the Census Bureau's County Business Patterns (2023), against 2024 population estimates. Counter-intuitively, density is not a warning: across 198 brand-state cells in our loan data, the densest quartile charges off at 5.6% versus 18.1% in the thinnest. A crowded market is usually proven demand; an empty one is often empty for a reason.
| System | Loans in IA | Local charge-off | Units in IA |
|---|---|---|---|
| PIZZA RANCH | 78 | 10.0% | 65 |
| Domino's Pizza | 29 | 0.0% | — |
| Blimpie | 25 | 40.9% | — |
| Quiznos | 24 | 37.5% | — |
| Culver's | 22 | 0.0% | — |
| TACO JOHN'S | 17 | 6.3% | 50 |
| SCOOTER'S COFFEE | 16 | thin | 93 |
| Cold Stone Creamery | 14 | 53.8% | — |
| Jimmy John's | 11 | thin | — |
| Little Caesars | 11 | thin | — |
| GODFATHER'S PIZZA | 9 | thin | — |
| Little Ceasar'S Pizza | 9 | thin | — |
Same sector, same state, same public records — how Hardee's compares to the systems a buyer in Iowa would actually be choosing between. Local rates under 10 resolved loans are marked thin, not hidden.
A broker is paid by the franchisor to place you. An independent CPA is paid by you — and the job is pressure-testing Hardee's's numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.
Talk to an independent CPA before you buy →