SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · IOWA
Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen franchise in Iowa: what the public record shows
Franchisees of Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen in Iowa have taken 7 SBA loans in the FY1991–present FOIA files (average $1,153,714). Fewer than 30 of them were approved through FY2020 and have resolved, so no local loss ratio is published. Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen's national ratio is 0.7×.
Loans in IA
7
Charged off (all years)
0 of 1
Loss ratio in IA
—
Loss ratio nationally
0.7×
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = IA. 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.
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 Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen'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 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.
Avg weekly wage, this industry
$410
Iowa, BLS QCEW 2025
National average
$537
same industry, all states
Versus the country
-24%
cheaper to staff
What Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen's industry actually pays workers in Iowa, 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.
| System | Loans in IA | Charged off (all years) | Loss ratio in IA | Units in IA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subway | 85 | 8 of 68 | 0.8×NOT CLEAR | 242 |
| PIZZA RANCH | 78 | 5 of 50 | 0.6×NOT CLEAR | 65 |
| DAIRY QUEEN | 43 | 3 of 38 | 0.4×NOT CLEAR | — |
| Domino's Pizza | 29 | 0 of 20 | — | — |
| Blimpie | 25 | 9 of 22 | — | — |
| Maid-Rite Sandwich Shop | 25 | 6 of 20 | — | — |
| Quiznos | 24 | 9 of 24 | — | — |
| Culver's | 22 | 0 of 18 | — | — |
| Little Caesars | 20 | 0 of 16 | — | — |
| TACO JOHN'S | 17 | 1 of 16 | — | 50 |
| SCOOTER'S COFFEE | 16 | 0 of 6 | — | 93 |
| Hardee's | 15 | 0 of 13 | — | 47 |
Other systems in Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen's sector whose franchisees borrowed in Iowa. A loss ratio appears only where at least 30 loans approved through FY2020 have resolved; “—” means too few.
A broker is usually paid by the franchisor to place you. I'm paid only by you, never by a franchisor you're considering — and the job is pressure-testing Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen’s numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.