SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · COLORADO
Sonic Drive-In franchise in Colorado: what the public record shows
Franchisees of Sonic Drive-In in Colorado have taken 10 SBA loans since 1991 (average $586,400)— too few resolved loans in-state to publish a local failure rate (we require a resolved cohort, never extrapolate), so the brand's national rate of 9.9% is the better guide.
Loans in CO
10
Resolved
8
Local charge-off
thin
National charge-off
9.9%
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = CO. 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 of 30 loans.
Businesses in this industry
11,540
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
193.7
national 179.9
Versus the country
+8%
denser
Every business in Sonic Drive-In's industry operating in Colorado — 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 CO | Local charge-off | Units in CO |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quiznos | 61 | 25.0% | — |
| Cold Stone Creamery | 42 | 29.4% | — |
| Culver's | 35 | 0.0% | — |
| Papa Murphy'S Take & Bake Pizza | 33 | 3.7% | — |
| Jimmy John's | 32 | 0.0% | — |
| Domino's Pizza | 24 | 5.0% | — |
| Wingstop Restaurant | 23 | 0.0% | — |
| Smoothie King (Health Food Store) | 19 | thin | — |
| Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory | 18 | 16.7% | — |
| Schlotzsky'S Sandwich Shop | 18 | 12.5% | — |
| Jersey Mike's Subs | 15 | thin | — |
| Blimpie | 14 | thin | — |
Same sector, same state, same public records — how Sonic Drive-In compares to the systems a buyer in Colorado 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 Sonic Drive-In's numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.
Talk to an independent CPA before you buy →