SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · MISSOURI
Tropical Smoothie Cafe franchise in Missouri: what the public record shows
Franchisees of Tropical Smoothie Cafe in Missouri have taken 13 SBA loans since 1991 (average $337,746), and of the 10 loans whose story has ended, 0.0% 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 29 franchised outlets in Missouri (fiscal 2025) — about 0.46 per 100k residents.
Loans in MO
13
Resolved
10
Local charge-off
0.0%
National charge-off
10.7%
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = MO. 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
10,459
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
167.5
national 179.9
Versus the country
-7%
thinner
Every business in Tropical Smoothie Cafe's industry operating in Missouri — 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 | 1 | — |
| 2014 | 1 | — |
| 2015 | 2 | — |
| 2023 | 22 | — |
| 2024 | 26 | — |
| 2025 | 29 | — |
| System | Loans in MO | Local charge-off | Units in MO |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quiznos | 78 | 31.3% | — |
| Culver's | 62 | 2.5% | — |
| Jimmy John's | 43 | 3.2% | — |
| Domino's Pizza | 38 | 8.0% | — |
| Smoothie King (Health Food Store) | 25 | 7.1% | — |
| Papa Murphy'S Take & Bake Pizza | 24 | 5.0% | — |
| Dunkin Donuts/Baskin-Robbins Co-Brand | 22 | 15.4% | — |
| Blimpie | 21 | 23.5% | — |
| Cold Stone Creamery | 21 | 27.8% | — |
| Jersey Mike's Subs | 20 | 0.0% | — |
| SCOOTER'S COFFEE | 20 | thin | 76 |
| Kentucky Fried Chicken | 17 | 25.0% | — |
Same sector, same state, same public records — how Tropical Smoothie Cafe compares to the systems a buyer in Missouri 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.
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