SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · PENNSYLVANIA
Smoothie King franchise in Pennsylvania: what the public record shows
Franchisees of Smoothie King in Pennsylvania have taken 10 SBA loans in the FY1991–present FOIA files (average $504,020). Fewer than 30 of them were approved through FY2020 and have resolved, so no local loss ratio is published. Smoothie King's national ratio is 0.8×.
Loans in PA
10
Charged off (all years)
0 of 6
Loss ratio in PA
—
Loss ratio nationally
0.8×
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = PA. 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
22,134
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
169.2
national 179.9
Versus the country
-6%
thinner
Every business in Smoothie King's industry operating in Pennsylvania — 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
$460
Pennsylvania, BLS QCEW 2025
National average
$537
same industry, all states
Versus the country
-14%
cheaper to staff
What Smoothie King's industry actually pays workers in Pennsylvania, 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 PA | Charged off (all years) | Loss ratio in PA | Units in PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subway | 335 | 21 of 266 | 0.4× | 550 |
| Dunkin' | 173 | 5 of 131 | 0.2× | — |
| Rita'S Real Italian Water Ice | 104 | 5 of 83 | 0.3× | — |
| Quiznos | 100 | 30 of 83 | 1.5× | — |
| DAIRY QUEEN | 79 | 4 of 54 | 0.5×NOT CLEAR | — |
| Fox'S Pizza Den | 60 | 9 of 46 | 0.8×NOT CLEAR | — |
| RITA'S ICE-CUSTARD-HAPPINESS | 50 | 0 of 20 | — | — |
| Saladworks | 47 | 9 of 38 | 1.3×NOT CLEAR | — |
| Domino's Pizza | 46 | 7 of 35 | 0.9×NOT CLEAR | — |
| Cold Stone Creamery | 45 | 17 of 30 | 2.1× | — |
| Philly Soft Pretzel Factory | 45 | 10 of 40 | 1.0×NOT CLEAR | — |
| Auntie Anne'S | 38 | 1 of 26 | — | — |
Other systems in Smoothie King's sector whose franchisees borrowed in Pennsylvania. 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 Smoothie King’s numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.