Franchise Failure Rates

SBA 7(a) loan outcomes · FY2010–FY2019 cohort · Statuses as of June 30, 2026 · Last updated August 17, 2026

Cold Stone Creamery Franchise Failure Rate: 1.4% SBA Loan Defaults (2010–2019 Federal Data)

1.4%
charge-off rate on 73 SBA 7(a) loans to Cold Stone Creamery franchisees, FY2010–2019
Charge-off rate, SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019 — Cold Stone Creamery against its industry and all franchises
Charge-off rate, SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019: Cold Stone Creamery 1.4%; Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars 10.1%; All franchises 10.2%Cold Stone Creamery 1.4%; Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars 10.1%; All franchises 10.2%0%2%4%6%8%10%Cold Stone Creamery1.4%Snack and NonalcoholicBeverage Bars10.1%All franchises10.2%
Charge-off rate, SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019: Cold Stone Creamery 1.4%; Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars 10.1%; All franchises 10.2%Cold Stone Creamery 1.4%; Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars 10.1%; All franchises 10.2%0%2%4%6%8%10%Cold Stone Creamery1.4%Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars10.1%All franchises10.2%

Source: U.S. SBA FOIA dataset, statuses as of June 30, 2026. Figures also in the comparison table below.

About 1 in 71 Cold Stone Creamery SBA borrowers failed to repay — well below the Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars average of 10.1%.

Between 2010 and 2019, 73 Cold Stone Creamery franchisees financed with SBA 7(a) loans. 1 defaulted — a 1.4% charge-off rate, 0.1x the Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars average of 10.1%. Source: U.S. Small Business Administration FOIA dataset, loan statuses as of June 30, 2026.

What is the Cold Stone Creamery franchise failure rate on SBA loans?

Cold Stone Creamery is a Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars franchise. This page reports the outcome of every SBA 7(a) loan the U.S. Small Business Administration's public FOIA file attributes to Cold Stone Creamery franchisees: 73 loans approved between fiscal 2010 and 2019, of which 1 was charged off. Loan statuses are as of June 30, 2026, and the cohort has matured, so these are settled outcomes rather than projections.

How does Cold Stone Creamery compare with other Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars franchises?

The table sets Cold Stone Creamery's charge-off rate beside its Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars 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.

Cold Stone Creamery versus benchmarks, SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019, statuses as of June 30, 2026. Source: U.S. SBA FOIA dataset.
MeasureCold Stone CreamerySnack and Nonalcoholic Beverage BarsAll franchisesAll SBA borrowers
Default (charge-off) rate1.4%10.1%10.2%8.0%
Loans in sample73———
Defaults1———
Average loan size$184,137———

What has Cold Stone Creamery SBA lending looked like since 2020?

Since 2020, Cold Stone Creamery franchisees have taken 183 new SBA 7(a) loans. 1 has already charged off. Early defaults on loans under six years old are notable — most SBA failures take longer to develop.

Charge-off rate by approval year — share of each fiscal year's Cold Stone Creamery SBA 7(a) loans that later defaulted (FY2010–FY2019); years with fewer than 10 loans are outlined, not filled
Charge-off rate by approval year: FY2013 25% of 4 loans; FY2014 0% of 10 loans; FY2015 0% of 17 loans; FY2016 0% of 21 loans; FY2017 0% of 6 loans; FY2018 0% of 6 loans; FY2019 0% of 9 loansCharge-off rate by approval year: FY2013 25% of 4 loans; FY2014 0% of 10 loans; FY2015 0% of 17 loans; FY2016 0% of 21 loans; FY2017 0% of 6 loans; FY2018 0% of 6 loans; FY2019 0% of 9 loans0%5%10%25%2013n=40%2014n=100%2015n=170%2016n=210%2017n=60%2018n=60%2019n=9
Charge-off rate by approval year: FY2013 25% of 4 loans; FY2014 0% of 10 loans; FY2015 0% of 17 loans; FY2016 0% of 21 loans; FY2017 0% of 6 loans; FY2018 0% of 6 loans; FY2019 0% of 9 loansCharge-off rate by approval year: FY2013 25% of 4 loans; FY2014 0% of 10 loans; FY2015 0% of 17 loans; FY2016 0% of 21 loans; FY2017 0% of 6 loans; FY2018 0% of 6 loans; FY2019 0% of 9 loans0%5%10%25%’13n=40%’14n=100%’15n=170%’16n=210%’17n=60%’18n=60%’19n=9

Loans approved since 2020, by fiscal year — counts only: 1 has charged off to date and most are still outstanding, so no rate is drawn.

Loans approved since 2020: FY2020 17; FY2021 25; FY2022 34; FY2023 26; FY2024 23; FY2025 35; FY2026 23Loans approved since 2020: FY2020 17; FY2021 25; FY2022 34; FY2023 26; FY2024 23; FY2025 35; FY2026 23172020252021342022262023232024352025232026
Loans approved since 2020: FY2020 17; FY2021 25; FY2022 34; FY2023 26; FY2024 23; FY2025 35; FY2026 23Loans approved since 2020: FY2020 17; FY2021 25; FY2022 34; FY2023 26; FY2024 23; FY2025 35; FY2026 2317’2025’2134’2226’2323’2435’2523’26

Source: U.S. SBA FOIA dataset, statuses as of June 30, 2026.

Show the numbers behind this chart
Fiscal yearLoansCharged offRate
FY20134125.0%
FY20141000.0%
FY20151700.0%
FY20162100.0%
FY2017600.0%
FY2018600.0%
FY2019900.0%
FY202017—outstanding
FY202125—outstanding
FY202234—outstanding
FY202326—outstanding
FY202423—outstanding
FY202535—outstanding
FY202623—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?

Cold Stone Creamery's figure rests on 73 resolved SBA 7(a) loans approved between fiscal 2010 and 2019 — a matured cohort, so the rate is a settled outcome, not a projection. With 73 resolved loans, one default moves the rate by about 1.4 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 Cold Stone Creamery figure is recomputed from the public SBA FOIA file on each rebuild.

Based on 73 resolved loans — directional, not precise.

Frequently asked

What is Cold Stone Creamery's franchise failure rate on SBA loans?
Between 2010 and 2019, 73 Cold Stone Creamery franchisees financed with SBA 7(a) loans. 1 defaulted — a 1.4% charge-off rate, 0.1x the Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars average of 10.1%. Source: U.S. Small Business Administration FOIA dataset, loan statuses as of June 30, 2026.
Is Cold Stone Creamery a safe franchise investment?
Between 2010–2019, Cold Stone Creamery franchisees defaulted on SBA loans at 1.4% versus a 10.1% industry average. This data is one input for due diligence; it is not investment advice.

Cite this page

Franchise Default Rates (2026). Cold Stone Creamery franchise SBA 7(a) default rate, FY2010–FY2019 cohort: 1.4% (1 of 73 loans charged off). Derived from U.S. SBA FOIA data, loan statuses as of June 30, 2026.

https://franchisefailurerates.com/franchise/cold-stone-creamery/ · Data & methodology · Download the dataset (CSV)