SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · ARIZONA
Tropical Smoothie Cafe franchise in Arizona: what the public record shows
Franchisees of Tropical Smoothie Cafe in Arizona have taken 19 SBA loans since 1991 (average $377,400), and of the 10 loans whose story has ended, 20.0% were charged off — versus 10.7% for Tropical Smoothie Cafe nationally and 14.8% across all rateable franchise brands. Its latest FDD Item 20 state table reports 22 franchised outlets in Arizona (fiscal 2025) — about 0.29 per 100k residents.
Loans in AZ
19
Resolved
10
Local charge-off
20.0%
National charge-off
10.7%
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = AZ. 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
11,916
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
157.2
national 179.9
Versus the country
-13%
thinner
Every business in Tropical Smoothie Cafe's industry operating in Arizona — 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.
| Fiscal year | Franchised | Company-owned |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 7 | — |
| 2014 | 9 | — |
| 2015 | 9 | — |
| 2023 | 24 | — |
| 2024 | 29 | — |
| 2025 | 22 | — |
| System | Loans in AZ | Local charge-off | Units in AZ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quiznos | 72 | 31.7% | — |
| Cold Stone Creamery | 43 | 42.4% | — |
| Culver's | 33 | 0.0% | — |
| Jimmy John's | 24 | 0.0% | — |
| Dunkin Donuts/Baskin-Robbins Co-Brand | 23 | 8.3% | — |
| Baskin-Robbins 31 Ice Cream | 20 | 35.3% | — |
| Schlotzsky'S Sandwich Shop | 20 | 11.8% | — |
| Robeks Juice | 18 | 27.3% | — |
| Papa Murphy'S Take & Bake Pizza | 15 | 13.3% | — |
| Arby's | 13 | 18.2% | — |
| Burger King | 13 | 15.4% | — |
| Domino's Pizza | 12 | thin | — |
Same sector, same state, same public records — how Tropical Smoothie Cafe compares to the systems a buyer in Arizona 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 Tropical Smoothie Cafe's numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.
Talk to an independent CPA before you buy →