SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · OHIO
Penn Station franchise in Ohio: what the public record shows
Franchisees of Penn Station in Ohio have taken 22 SBA loans since 1991 (average $458,459), and of the 18 loans whose story has ended, 5.6% were charged off — versus 1.9% for Penn Station nationally and 14.8% across all rateable franchise brands.
Loans in OH
22
Resolved
18
Local charge-off
5.6%
National charge-off
1.9%
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = OH. 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
20,528
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
172.7
national 179.9
Versus the country
-4%
thinner
Every business in Penn Station's industry operating in Ohio — 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 OH | Local charge-off | Units in OH |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quiznos | 99 | 25.0% | — |
| Domino's Pizza | 75 | 8.2% | — |
| Jimmy John's | 73 | 9.6% | — |
| East of Chicago Pizza | 70 | 19.2% | — |
| Cold Stone Creamery | 58 | 17.1% | — |
| Biggby Coffee | 53 | 0.0% | — |
| Dunkin Donuts/Baskin-Robbins Co-Brand | 50 | 20.0% | — |
| Mr. Hero Sandwich Shop | 38 | 2.9% | — |
| Zeppe'S | 37 | 3.1% | — |
| Arby's | 34 | 0.0% | — |
| Culver's | 34 | 0.0% | — |
| Marco's Pizza | 31 | 0.0% | — |
Same sector, same state, same public records — how Penn Station compares to the systems a buyer in Ohio 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 Penn Station's numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.
Talk to an independent CPA before you buy →