Golden Corral Franchise Failure Rate
SBA 7(a) loan default data, FY2010–FY2019 · Updated 2026
Golden Corral franchisees defaulted on 10.3% of SBA 7(a) loans between FY2010 and FY2019 — 7 of 68 loans were charged off — according to U.S. Small Business Administration data. That is roughly in line with the Full-Service Restaurants industry average of 9.6%.
- 10.3%SBA default rate7 of 68 loans
- 68loans resolvedapproved FY2010–FY2019
- 9.6%Full-Service Restaurants averageall SBA loans in the industry
- 6th lowestindustry rankof 12 Full-Service Restaurants brands
| SBA default rate | 10.3% |
|---|---|
| Loans approved | 68 |
| Loans charged off | 7 |
| Date range | FY2010–FY2019 |
| Industry | Full-Service Restaurants |
| Industry average | 9.6% |
| Total initial investment (FDD Item 7) | $3,828,846–$5,318,130 |
| Data source | U.S. SBA 7(a) FOIA loan data |
Most SBA default figures published online use loans approved since 2020 — loans that have had six years or less to fail — so those rates are floors, not outcomes. Every rate on this site is computed from the matured FY2010–FY2019 cohort: loans that have been paid in full or charged off, so the result is settled. Loans approved since 2020 are shown as counts so early charge-offs are visible without being mistaken for a rate.
Source: U.S. SBA FOIA dataset, statuses as of June 30, 2026. Figures also in the comparison table below.
About 1 in 10 Golden Corral SBA borrowers failed to repay — above the Full-Service Restaurants average of 9.6%.
What is the Golden Corral franchise failure rate on SBA loans?
Golden Corral is a Full-Service Restaurants franchise. This page reports the outcome of every SBA 7(a) loan the U.S. Small Business Administration's public FOIA file attributes to Golden Corral franchisees: 68 loans approved between fiscal 2010 and 2019, of which 7 were charged off. Loan statuses are as of June 30, 2026, and the cohort has matured, so these are settled outcomes rather than projections.
- SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY201968
- Charged off7
- Charge-off rate10.3%
- Full-Service Restaurants franchise benchmark9.6%
- Brand vs industry1.1x
- All-franchise SBA benchmark10.2%
- Average loan size, 2010s cohort$1,481,069
- New SBA loans since 202027
- Early charge-offs since 20200
How does Golden Corral compare with other Full-Service Restaurants franchises?
The table sets Golden Corral's charge-off rate beside its Full-Service Restaurants peers and the two economy-wide benchmarks. All figures use the same cohort — SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019, statuses as of June 30, 2026 — and the same denominator of resolved loans, so they are directly comparable.
| Measure | Golden Corral | Full-Service Restaurants | All franchises | All SBA borrowers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Default (charge-off) rate | 10.3% | 9.6% | 10.2% | 8.0% |
| Loans in sample | 68 | — | — | — |
| Defaults | 7 | — | — | — |
| Average loan size | $1,481,069 | — | — | — |
What would Golden Corral's royalty and ad fund cost at your sales level?
From Golden Corral's FDD Item 6 (2026): royalty 4% of sales, advertising fund 2.4%. Royalty and ad fund only · illustration. Other Item 6 fees, fixed or percentage, and local marketing minimums are not included.
| Annual sales | Royalty | Ad fund | Royalty + ad fund |
|---|---|---|---|
| $250,000 | $10,000 | $6,000 | $16,000 |
| $500,000 | $20,000 | $12,000 | $32,000 |
| $1,000,000 | $40,000 | $24,000 | $64,000 |
| $2,000,000 | $80,000 | $48,000 | $128,000 |
What has Golden Corral SBA lending looked like since 2020?
Since 2020, Golden Corral franchisees have taken 27 new SBA 7(a) loans. None have charged off to date, though most remain outstanding and unresolved.
Loans approved since 2020, by fiscal year — counts only: 0 have charged off to date and most are still outstanding, so no rate is drawn.
Source: U.S. SBA FOIA dataset, statuses as of June 30, 2026.
Show the numbers behind this chart
| Fiscal year | Loans | Charged off | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2010 | 6 | 1 | 16.7% |
| FY2011 | 7 | 2 | 28.6% |
| FY2012 | 6 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2013 | 6 | 2 | 33.3% |
| FY2014 | 7 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2015 | 14 | 2 | 14.3% |
| FY2016 | 5 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2017 | 4 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2018 | 5 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2019 | 8 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2020 | 4 | — | outstanding |
| FY2021 | 5 | — | outstanding |
| FY2022 | 6 | — | outstanding |
| FY2023 | 3 | — | outstanding |
| FY2024 | 5 | — | outstanding |
| FY2025 | 2 | — | outstanding |
| FY2026 | 2 | — | outstanding |
How to read this
A charge-off means a franchisee borrowed, operated, and failed severely enough that the SBA wrote off the government-guaranteed loan. Unlike franchisor marketing or Item 19 disclosures, this is an observed outcome recorded by a federal agency. One caveat cuts the other way: SBA borrowers are typically less capitalized than all-cash buyers, so these rates can overstate risk for well-funded operators.
How reliable is this number?
Golden Corral's figure rests on 68 resolved SBA 7(a) loans approved between fiscal 2010 and 2019. That cohort has matured, so the rate is a settled outcome, not a projection. With 68 resolved loans, one default moves the rate by about 1.5 percentage points. Loans approved since 2020 are excluded from the rate because most are still outstanding; they appear on this page as counts only. Every Golden Corral figure is recomputed from the public SBA FOIA file on each rebuild.
Based on 68 resolved loans — directional, not precise.
Is Golden Corral in financial trouble? What the SBA data shows
Golden Corral's SBA 7(a) default rate was 10.3% for loans approved FY2010–FY2019 (7 of 68 loans charged off) — 6th lowest of 12 Full-Service Restaurants brands tracked here. A default rate close to the Full-Service Restaurants average of 9.6% is, on its own, neither a warning sign nor a reassurance.
Frequently asked
- What is Golden Corral's franchise failure rate?
- Golden Corral franchisees defaulted on 10.3% of SBA 7(a) loans between FY2010 and FY2019 — 7 of 68 loans were charged off — according to U.S. Small Business Administration data. That is roughly in line with the Full-Service Restaurants industry average of 9.6%.
- How does Golden Corral compare to other Full-Service Restaurants franchises?
- Golden Corral's 10.3% SBA default rate is roughly in line with the Full-Service Restaurants industry average of 9.6%. See every Full-Service Restaurants franchise ranked on the Full-Service Restaurants industry page. Full-Service Restaurants franchises →
- What does 'SBA default rate' mean?
- An SBA default rate is the share of SBA 7(a) loans, approved FY2010–FY2019 and since resolved (paid in full or charged off), that were charged off — written off after the borrower failed to repay. It is not a measure of unit closures.
- How much does a Golden Corral franchise cost?
- Golden Corral's 2026 FDD puts the total initial investment (Item 7) at $3,828,846–$5,318,130, including an initial franchise fee of $50,000 (Item 5). The average SBA 7(a) loan to a Golden Corral franchisee in the 2010s cohort was $1,481,069.
- Who owns Golden Corral?
- Golden Corral is franchised by Golden Corral Franchising Systems, Inc., according to the brand's FDD (2026).
Source
Source: U.S. Small Business Administration, 7(a) loan program charge-off data, FY2010–FY2019. Franchise data is matched on the SBA's franchise code / brand name. "Failure rate" here means the share of approved loans (resolved: paid in full or charged off) that were charged off; it is not a measure of unit closures. Last updated September 30, 2026.
Every brand in one table, with percentiles and breakdowns by year, industry and loan size: franchise SBA default rates, all 415 brands.
Cite this page
Franchise Default Rates (2026). Golden Corral franchise SBA 7(a) default rate, FY2010–FY2019 cohort: 10.3% (7 of 68 loans charged off). Derived from U.S. SBA FOIA data, loan statuses as of June 30, 2026.
https://franchisefailurerates.com/franchise/golden-corral/ · Data & methodology · Download the dataset (CSV)