SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · SOUTH CAROLINA
Tropical Smoothie Cafe franchise in South Carolina: what the public record shows
Franchisees of Tropical Smoothie Cafe in South Carolina have taken 21 SBA loans since 1991 (average $427,533), and of the 14 loans whose story has ended, 7.1% 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 47 franchised outlets in South Carolina (fiscal 2025) — about 0.86 per 100k residents.
Loans in SC
21
Resolved
14
Local charge-off
7.1%
National charge-off
10.7%
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = SC. 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
9,612
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
175.4
national 179.9
Versus the country
-3%
thinner
Every business in Tropical Smoothie Cafe's industry operating in South Carolina — 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.
Avg weekly wage, this industry
$470
South Carolina, BLS QCEW 2025
National average
$537
same industry, all states
Versus the country
-12%
cheaper to staff
What Tropical Smoothie Cafe's industry actually pays workers in South Carolina, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (2025), employment-weighted across counties. This is a real cost signal 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.
| Fiscal year | Franchised | Company-owned |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 4 | — |
| 2014 | 4 | — |
| 2015 | 7 | — |
| 2023 | 37 | — |
| 2024 | 41 | — |
| 2025 | 47 | — |
| System | Loans in SC | Local charge-off | Units in SC |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bruster'S | 24 | 7.1% | — |
| Zaxby's | 24 | 0.0% | — |
| Quiznos | 18 | 35.7% | — |
| Atlanta Bread | 17 | 25.0% | — |
| Domino's Pizza | 16 | 0.0% | — |
| Cold Stone Creamery | 15 | 40.0% | — |
| Mellow Mushroom | 14 | 8.3% | — |
| Schlotzsky'S | 14 | thin | — |
| Cicis Pizza | 13 | 15.4% | — |
| Culver's | 10 | thin | — |
| BONJANGLES EXPRESS | 9 | thin | — |
| DUCK DONUTS | 9 | thin | — |
Same sector, same state, same public records — how Tropical Smoothie Cafe compares to the systems a buyer in South Carolina 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. I'm paid by you — and the job is pressure-testing Tropical Smoothie Cafe's numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.