SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · TENNESSEE
MARBLE SLAB CREAMERY franchise in Tennessee: what the public record shows
Franchisees of MARBLE SLAB CREAMERY in Tennessee have taken 11 SBA loans since 1991 (average $289,420), and of the 11 loans whose story has ended, 18.2% were charged off — versus 29.0% for MARBLE SLAB CREAMERY nationally and 14.8% across all rateable franchise brands.
Loans in TN
11
Resolved
11
Local charge-off
18.2%
National charge-off
29.0%
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.
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 MARBLE SLAB CREAMERY'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.
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 MARBLE SLAB CREAMERY'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.
| System | Loans in TN | Local charge-off | Units in TN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zaxby's | 38 | 6.9% | — |
| Culver's | 20 | 0.0% | — |
| SCOOTER'S COFFEE | 20 | thin | 24 |
| Marco's Pizza | 19 | 0.0% | — |
| Schlotzsky'S | 19 | 38.9% | — |
| Cicis Pizza | 18 | 35.3% | — |
| Firehouse Subs | 18 | thin | 48 |
| Quiznos | 18 | 35.7% | — |
| Baskin-Robbins | 16 | 16.7% | — |
| Jimmy John's | 16 | 20.0% | — |
| Smoothie King | 16 | 30.0% | — |
| Domino's Pizza | 15 | 7.7% | — |
Same sector, same state, same public records — how MARBLE SLAB CREAMERY compares to the systems a buyer in Tennessee 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. I'm paid by you — and the job is pressure-testing MARBLE SLAB CREAMERY's numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.