Smoothie King Franchise Failure Rate
SBA 7(a) loan default data, FY2010–FY2019 · Updated 2026
Smoothie King franchisees defaulted on 3.8% of SBA 7(a) loans between FY2010 and FY2019 — 7 of 182 loans were charged off — according to U.S. Small Business Administration data. That is lower than the Limited-Service Restaurants industry average of 10.3%.
- 3.8%SBA default rate7 of 182 loans
- 182loans resolvedapproved FY2010–FY2019
- 10.3%Limited-Service Restaurants averageall SBA loans in the industry
- 25th lowestindustry rankof 81 Limited-Service Restaurants brands
| SBA default rate | 3.8% |
|---|---|
| Loans approved | 182 |
| Loans charged off | 7 |
| Date range | FY2010–FY2019 |
| Industry | Limited-Service Restaurants |
| Industry average | 10.3% |
| Total initial investment (FDD Item 7) | $329,850–$683,215 |
| 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 26 Smoothie King SBA borrowers failed to repay — well below the Limited-Service Restaurants average of 10.3%.
What is the Smoothie King franchise failure rate on SBA loans?
Smoothie King is a Limited-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 Smoothie King franchisees: 182 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–FY2019182
- Charged off7
- Charge-off rate3.8%
- Limited-Service Restaurants franchise benchmark10.3%
- Brand vs industry0.4x
- All-franchise SBA benchmark10.2%
- Average loan size, 2010s cohort$255,176
- New SBA loans since 2020178
- Early charge-offs since 20202
How does Smoothie King compare with other Limited-Service Restaurants franchises?
The table sets Smoothie King's charge-off rate beside its Limited-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 | Smoothie King | Limited-Service Restaurants | All franchises | All SBA borrowers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Default (charge-off) rate | 3.8% | 10.3% | 10.2% | 8.0% |
| Loans in sample | 182 | — | — | — |
| Defaults | 7 | — | — | — |
| Average loan size | $255,176 | — | — | — |
What would Smoothie King's royalty and ad fund cost at your sales level?
From Smoothie King's FDD Item 6 (2026): royalty 6% of sales, advertising fund 3%. 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 | $15,000 | $7,500 | $22,500 |
| $500,000 | $30,000 | $15,000 | $45,000 |
| $1,000,000 | $60,000 | $30,000 | $90,000 |
| $2,000,000 | $120,000 | $60,000 | $180,000 |
What has Smoothie King SBA lending looked like since 2020?
Since 2020, Smoothie King franchisees have taken 178 new SBA 7(a) loans. 2 have already charged off. Early defaults on loans under six years old are worth noting. Most SBA failures take longer to develop.
Loans approved since 2020, by fiscal year — counts only: 2 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 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2011 | 4 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2012 | 3 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2013 | 10 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2014 | 16 | 1 | 6.2% |
| FY2015 | 32 | 3 | 9.4% |
| FY2016 | 34 | 2 | 5.9% |
| FY2017 | 29 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2018 | 27 | 1 | 3.7% |
| FY2019 | 21 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2020 | 35 | — | outstanding |
| FY2021 | 36 | — | outstanding |
| FY2022 | 28 | — | outstanding |
| FY2023 | 26 | — | outstanding |
| FY2024 | 12 | — | outstanding |
| FY2025 | 23 | — | outstanding |
| FY2026 | 18 | — | 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?
Smoothie King's figure rests on 182 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 182 resolved loans, the sample is large enough that a single default barely moves the figure. Loans approved since 2020 are excluded from the rate because most are still outstanding; they appear on this page as counts only. Every Smoothie King figure is recomputed from the public SBA FOIA file on each rebuild.
Is Smoothie King in financial trouble? What the SBA data shows
Smoothie King's SBA 7(a) default rate was 3.8% for loans approved FY2010–FY2019 (7 of 182 loans charged off) — 25th lowest of 81 Limited-Service Restaurants brands tracked here. A default rate this far below the Limited-Service Restaurants average of 10.3% is not, on its own, a sign of distress.
Frequently asked
- What is Smoothie King's franchise failure rate?
- Smoothie King franchisees defaulted on 3.8% of SBA 7(a) loans between FY2010 and FY2019 — 7 of 182 loans were charged off — according to U.S. Small Business Administration data. That is lower than the Limited-Service Restaurants industry average of 10.3%.
- How does Smoothie King compare to other Limited-Service Restaurants franchises?
- Smoothie King's 3.8% SBA default rate is lower than the Limited-Service Restaurants industry average of 10.3%. See every Limited-Service Restaurants franchise ranked on the Limited-Service Restaurants industry page. Limited-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 Smoothie King franchise cost?
- Smoothie King's 2026 FDD puts the total initial investment (Item 7) at $329,850–$683,215, including an initial franchise fee of $30,000 (Item 5). The average SBA 7(a) loan to a Smoothie King franchisee in the 2010s cohort was $255,176.
- Who owns Smoothie King?
- Smoothie King is franchised by Smoothie King Franchises, 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). Smoothie King franchise SBA 7(a) default rate, FY2010–FY2019 cohort: 3.8% (7 of 182 loans charged off). Derived from U.S. SBA FOIA data, loan statuses as of June 30, 2026.
https://franchisefailurerates.com/franchise/smoothie-king/ · Data & methodology · Download the dataset (CSV)