FRANCHISE·WATCH·DESK

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

Little Caesars franchise in Maine: what the public record shows

Franchisees of Little Caesars in Maine have taken 5 SBA loans in the FY1991–present FOIA files (average $108,000). Fewer than 30 of them were approved through FY2020 and have resolved, so no local loss ratio is published. Little Caesars's national ratio is 0.5×.

SBA loan outcomes · Mainevs same-year franchise loans

Loans in ME

5

Charged off (all years)

0 of 4

Loss ratio in ME

—

Loss ratio nationally

0.5×

Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = ME. 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 · Maine vs nationalDense market

Businesses in this industry

3,020

statewide, all operators

Per 100k residents

214.9

national 179.9

Versus the country

+19%

denser

Every business in Little Caesars's industry operating in Maine — 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 · Maine vs nationalTypical wages

Avg weekly wage, this industry

$615

Maine, BLS QCEW 2025

National average

$537

same industry, all states

Versus the country

+15%

costlier to staff

What Little Caesars's industry actually pays workers in Maine, 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 Maine5 systems
SystemLoans in MECharged off (all years)Loss ratio in MEUnits in ME
Dunkin'340 of 29——
Subway340 of 25—87
DAIRY QUEEN180 of 14——
Domino's Pizza120 of 10——
Quiznos62 of 5——

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

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