FRANCHISE·WATCH·DESK

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

HUDDLE HOUSE franchise in Tennessee: what the public record shows

Franchisees of HUDDLE HOUSE in Tennessee have taken 8 SBA loans since 1991 (average $582,375)— too few resolved loans in-state to publish a local failure rate (we require a resolved cohort, never extrapolate), so the brand's national rate of 25.9% is the better guide.

SBA loan outcomes · Tennesseevs national

Loans in TN

8

Resolved

6

Local charge-off

thin

National charge-off

25.9%

Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = TN. 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 of 30 loans.

Market density · Tennessee vs nationalTypical density

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 HUDDLE HOUSE'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 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.

Labor cost · Tennessee vs nationalTypical wages

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 HUDDLE HOUSE'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 is a real cost signal 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 Tennessee12 systems
SystemLoans in TNLocal charge-offUnits in TN
Zaxby's386.9%
Culver's200.0%
SCOOTER'S COFFEE20thin24
Marco's Pizza190.0%
Schlotzsky'S1938.9%
Cicis Pizza1835.3%
Firehouse Subs18thin48
Quiznos1835.7%
Baskin-Robbins1616.7%
Jimmy John's1620.0%
Smoothie King1630.0%
Domino's Pizza157.7%

Same sector, same state, same public records — how HUDDLE HOUSE compares to the systems a buyer in Tennessee would actually be choosing between. Local rates under 10 resolved loans are marked thin, not hidden.

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A broker is paid by the franchisor to place you. I'm paid by you — and the job is pressure-testing HUDDLE HOUSE's numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.

Don Drummond, CPA — Virginia #43775 · what I charge

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