Franchise Failure Rates

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

Dickey's Barbecue Pit Franchise Failure Rate: 34.2% SBA Loan Defaults (2010–2019 Federal Data)

34.2%
charge-off rate on 158 SBA 7(a) loans to Dickey's Barbecue Pit franchisees, FY2010–2019
Charge-off rate, SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019 — Dickey's Barbecue Pit against its industry and all franchises
Charge-off rate, SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019: Dickey's Barbecue Pit 34.2%; Limited-Service Restaurants 10.3%; All franchises 10.2%Dickey's Barbecue Pit 34.2%; Limited-Service Restaurants 10.3%; All franchises 10.2%0%10%20%30%Dickey's Barbecue Pit34.2%Limited-ServiceRestaurants10.3%All franchises10.2%
Charge-off rate, SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019: Dickey's Barbecue Pit 34.2%; Limited-Service Restaurants 10.3%; All franchises 10.2%Dickey's Barbecue Pit 34.2%; Limited-Service Restaurants 10.3%; All franchises 10.2%0%10%20%30%Dickey's Barbecue Pit34.2%Limited-Service Restaurants10.3%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 3 Dickey's Barbecue Pit SBA borrowers failed to repay — more than double the Limited-Service Restaurants average of 10.3%.

Between 2010 and 2019, 158 Dickey's Barbecue Pit franchisees financed with SBA 7(a) loans. 54 defaulted — a 34.2% charge-off rate, 3.3x the Limited-Service Restaurants average of 10.3%. Source: U.S. Small Business Administration FOIA dataset, loan statuses as of June 30, 2026.

What is the Dickey's Barbecue Pit franchise failure rate on SBA loans?

Dickey's Barbecue Pit 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 Dickey's Barbecue Pit franchisees: 158 loans approved between fiscal 2010 and 2019, of which 54 were 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 Dickey's Barbecue Pit compare with other Limited-Service Restaurants franchises?

The table sets Dickey's Barbecue Pit'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. A cell in red is more than twice the industry benchmark.

Dickey's Barbecue Pit versus benchmarks, SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019, statuses as of June 30, 2026. Source: U.S. SBA FOIA dataset.
MeasureDickey's Barbecue PitLimited-Service RestaurantsAll franchisesAll SBA borrowers
Default (charge-off) rate34.2%10.3%10.2%8.0%
Loans in sample158———
Defaults54———
Average loan size$291,599———

What has Dickey's Barbecue Pit SBA lending looked like since 2020?

Since 2020, Dickey's Barbecue Pit franchisees have taken 64 new SBA 7(a) loans. 4 have 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 Dickey's Barbecue Pit 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 50% of 6 loans; FY2014 10% of 31 loans; FY2015 36% of 25 loans; FY2016 28% of 32 loans; FY2017 38% of 37 loans; FY2018 73% of 15 loans; FY2019 42% of 12 loansCharge-off rate by approval year: FY2013 50% of 6 loans; FY2014 10% of 31 loans; FY2015 36% of 25 loans; FY2016 28% of 32 loans; FY2017 38% of 37 loans; FY2018 73% of 15 loans; FY2019 42% of 12 loans0%40%80%50%2013n=610%2014n=3136%2015n=2528%2016n=3238%2017n=3773%2018n=1542%2019n=12
Charge-off rate by approval year: FY2013 50% of 6 loans; FY2014 10% of 31 loans; FY2015 36% of 25 loans; FY2016 28% of 32 loans; FY2017 38% of 37 loans; FY2018 73% of 15 loans; FY2019 42% of 12 loansCharge-off rate by approval year: FY2013 50% of 6 loans; FY2014 10% of 31 loans; FY2015 36% of 25 loans; FY2016 28% of 32 loans; FY2017 38% of 37 loans; FY2018 73% of 15 loans; FY2019 42% of 12 loans0%40%80%50%’13n=610%’14n=3136%’15n=2528%’16n=3238%’17n=3773%’18n=1542%’19n=12

Loans approved since 2020, by fiscal year — counts only: 4 have charged off to date and most are still outstanding, so no rate is drawn.

Loans approved since 2020: FY2020 11; FY2021 16; FY2022 22; FY2023 7; FY2024 5; FY2025 2; FY2026 1Loans approved since 2020: FY2020 11; FY2021 16; FY2022 22; FY2023 7; FY2024 5; FY2025 2; FY2026 111202016202122202272023520242202512026
Loans approved since 2020: FY2020 11; FY2021 16; FY2022 22; FY2023 7; FY2024 5; FY2025 2; FY2026 1Loans approved since 2020: FY2020 11; FY2021 16; FY2022 22; FY2023 7; FY2024 5; FY2025 2; FY2026 111’2016’2122’227’235’242’251’26

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

Show the numbers behind this chart
Fiscal yearLoansCharged offRate
FY20136350.0%
FY20143139.7%
FY201525936.0%
FY201632928.1%
FY2017371437.8%
FY2018151173.3%
FY201912541.7%
FY202011—outstanding
FY202116—outstanding
FY202222—outstanding
FY20237—outstanding
FY20245—outstanding
FY20252—outstanding
FY20261—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?

Dickey's Barbecue Pit's figure rests on 158 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 158 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 Dickey's Barbecue Pit figure is recomputed from the public SBA FOIA file on each rebuild.

Frequently asked

What is Dickey's Barbecue Pit's franchise failure rate on SBA loans?
Between 2010 and 2019, 158 Dickey's Barbecue Pit franchisees financed with SBA 7(a) loans. 54 defaulted — a 34.2% charge-off rate, 3.3x the Limited-Service Restaurants average of 10.3%. Source: U.S. Small Business Administration FOIA dataset, loan statuses as of June 30, 2026.
Is Dickey's Barbecue Pit a safe franchise investment?
Between 2010–2019, Dickey's Barbecue Pit franchisees defaulted on SBA loans at 34.2% versus a 10.3% industry average. This data is one input for due diligence; it is not investment advice.

Cite this page

Franchise Default Rates (2026). Dickey's Barbecue Pit franchise SBA 7(a) default rate, FY2010–FY2019 cohort: 34.2% (54 of 158 loans charged off). Derived from U.S. SBA FOIA data, loan statuses as of June 30, 2026.

https://franchisefailurerates.com/franchise/dickeys-barbecue-pit/ · Data & methodology · Download the dataset (CSV)