FRANCHISE·WATCH·DESK

SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · UTAH

Taco Del Mar franchise in Utah: what the public record shows

Franchisees of Taco Del Mar in Utah have taken 9 SBA loans in the FY1991–present FOIA files (average $168,722). Fewer than 30 of them were approved through FY2020 and have resolved, so no local loss ratio is published. Taco Del Mar's national ratio is 1.6×.

SBA loan outcomes · Utahvs same-year franchise loans

Loans in UT

9

Charged off (all years)

3 of 8

Loss ratio in UT

—

Loss ratio nationally

1.6×

Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = UT. 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.

Market density · Utah vs nationalTypical density

Businesses in this industry

5,452

statewide, all operators

Per 100k residents

155.6

national 179.9

Versus the country

-14%

thinner

Every business in Taco Del Mar's industry operating in Utah — 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.

Labor cost · Utah vs nationalTypical wages

Avg weekly wage, this industry

$457

Utah, BLS QCEW 2025

National average

$537

same industry, all states

Versus the country

-15%

cheaper to staff

What Taco Del Mar's industry actually pays workers in Utah, 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.

Same-sector systems with SBA loan history in Utah12 systems
SystemLoans in UTCharged off (all years)Loss ratio in UTUnits in UT
Subway632 of 490.2×169
Papa Murphy'S290 of 24——
Culver's240 of 11——
Quiznos228 of 19——
FiiZ Drinks200 of 4——
DAIRY QUEEN194 of 16——
Golden Corral190 of 9——
Cold Stone Creamery180 of 16——
Firehouse Subs171 of 11—13
Blimpie143 of 12——
Domino's Pizza130 of 8——
Arby's124 of 10——

Other systems in Taco Del Mar's sector whose franchisees borrowed in Utah. A loss ratio appears only where at least 30 loans approved through FY2020 have resolved; “—” means too few.

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