SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · ALABAMA
Zaxby's franchise in Alabama: what the public record shows
Franchisees of Zaxby's in Alabama have taken 40 SBA loans in the FY1991–present FOIA files (average $694,930). Fewer than 30 of them were approved through FY2020 and have resolved, so no local loss ratio is published. Zaxby's's national ratio is 0.3×.
Loans in AL
40
Charged off (all years)
0 of 28
Loss ratio in AL
—
Loss ratio nationally
0.3×
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = AL. 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.
Businesses in this industry
7,968
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
154.5
national 179.9
Versus the country
-14%
thinner
Every business in Zaxby's's industry operating in Alabama — 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.
Avg weekly wage, this industry
$444
Alabama, BLS QCEW 2025
National average
$537
same industry, all states
Versus the country
-17%
cheaper to staff
What Zaxby's's industry actually pays workers in Alabama, 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.
| System | Loans in AL | Charged off (all years) | Loss ratio in AL | Units in AL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subway | 68 | 4 of 56 | 0.5×NOT CLEAR | 379 |
| DAIRY QUEEN | 36 | 6 of 26 | — | — |
| Domino's Pizza | 32 | 2 of 18 | — | — |
| Quiznos | 27 | 11 of 26 | — | — |
| HUDDLE HOUSE | 14 | 1 of 12 | — | — |
| Jimmy John's | 13 | 3 of 13 | — | — |
| Bruster'S | 12 | 3 of 10 | — | — |
| Smoothie King | 12 | 1 of 8 | — | — |
| Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen | 11 | 0 of 8 | — | — |
| Blimpie | 10 | 1 of 7 | — | — |
| Church'S Fried Chicken | 10 | 1 of 6 | — | 18 |
| Cicis Pizza | 10 | 0 of 9 | — | — |
Other systems in Zaxby's's sector whose franchisees borrowed in Alabama. A loss ratio appears only where at least 30 loans approved through FY2020 have resolved; “—” means too few.
A broker is usually paid by the franchisor to place you. I'm paid only by you, never by a franchisor you're considering — and the job is pressure-testing Zaxby's numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.