FRANCHISE·WATCH·DESK

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

Wingstop franchise in Florida: what the public record shows

Franchisees of Wingstop in Florida have taken 30 SBA loans in the FY1991–present FOIA files (average $309,003). Fewer than 30 of them were approved through FY2020 and have resolved, so no local loss ratio is published. Wingstop's national ratio is 0.5×. Its latest FDD Item 20 state table reports 171 franchised outlets in Florida (fiscal 2025) — about 0.73 per 100k residents.

SBA loan outcomes · Floridavs same-year franchise loans

Loans in FL

30

Charged off (all years)

3 of 25

Loss ratio in FL

—

Loss ratio nationally

0.5×

Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = FL. 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 · Florida vs nationalTypical density

Businesses in this industry

38,729

statewide, all operators

Per 100k residents

165.7

national 179.9

Versus the country

-8%

thinner

Every business in Wingstop's industry operating in Florida — 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 · Florida vs nationalTypical wages

Avg weekly wage, this industry

$608

Florida, BLS QCEW 2025

National average

$537

same industry, all states

Versus the country

+13%

costlier to staff

What Wingstop's industry actually pays workers in Florida, 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.

Franchised outlets in Florida · FDD Item 20+45 over the disclosed window
Fiscal yearFranchisedCompany-owned
2023126—
2024143—
2025171—
Same-sector systems with SBA loan history in Florida12 systems
SystemLoans in FLCharged off (all years)Loss ratio in FLUnits in FL
Quiznos16357 of 1401.7×—
Dunkin'14911 of 1200.5×—
Subway12411 of 970.6×1,023
Culver's1130 of 380×—
DAIRY QUEEN1063 of 710.3×—
Firehouse Subs10412 of 771.0×NOT CLEAR128
Tropical Smoothie Cafe9611 of 591.2×NOT CLEAR217
Domino's Pizza914 of 660.4×—
Cold Stone Creamery8615 of 571.1×NOT CLEAR—
Smoothie King747 of 481.0×NOT CLEAR—
Zaxby's741 of 510.1×—
BEEF O' BRADY'S FAMILY SPORTS PUBS6616 of 521.6×NOT CLEAR60

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

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