Franchise Failure Rates

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

Golden Corral Franchise Failure Rate: 10.3% SBA Loan Defaults (2010–2019 Federal Data)

10.3%
charge-off rate on 68 SBA 7(a) loans to Golden Corral franchisees, FY2010–2019
Charge-off rate, SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019 — Golden Corral against its industry and all franchises
Charge-off rate, SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019: Golden Corral 10.3%; Full-Service Restaurants 9.6%; All franchises 10.2%Golden Corral 10.3%; Full-Service Restaurants 9.6%; All franchises 10.2%0%2%4%6%8%10%Golden Corral10.3%Full-Service Restaurants9.6%All franchises10.2%
Charge-off rate, SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019: Golden Corral 10.3%; Full-Service Restaurants 9.6%; All franchises 10.2%Golden Corral 10.3%; Full-Service Restaurants 9.6%; All franchises 10.2%0%2%4%6%8%10%Golden Corral10.3%Full-Service Restaurants9.6%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 10 Golden Corral SBA borrowers failed to repay — above the Full-Service Restaurants average of 9.6%.

Between 2010 and 2019, 68 Golden Corral franchisees financed with SBA 7(a) loans. 7 defaulted — a 10.3% charge-off rate, 1.1x the Full-Service Restaurants average of 9.6%. Source: U.S. Small Business Administration FOIA dataset, loan statuses as of June 30, 2026.

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.

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.

Golden Corral versus benchmarks, SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019, statuses as of June 30, 2026. Source: U.S. SBA FOIA dataset.
MeasureGolden CorralFull-Service RestaurantsAll franchisesAll SBA borrowers
Default (charge-off) rate10.3%9.6%10.2%8.0%
Loans in sample68———
Defaults7———
Average loan size$1,481,069———

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.

Charge-off rate by approval year — share of each fiscal year's Golden Corral 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: FY2010 17% of 6 loans; FY2011 29% of 7 loans; FY2012 0% of 6 loans; FY2013 33% of 6 loans; FY2014 0% of 7 loans; FY2015 14% of 14 loans; FY2016 0% of 5 loans; FY2017 0% of 4 loans; FY2018 0% of 5 loans; FY2019 0% of 8 loansCharge-off rate by approval year: FY2010 17% of 6 loans; FY2011 29% of 7 loans; FY2012 0% of 6 loans; FY2013 33% of 6 loans; FY2014 0% of 7 loans; FY2015 14% of 14 loans; FY2016 0% of 5 loans; FY2017 0% of 4 loans; FY2018 0% of 5 loans; FY2019 0% of 8 loans0%8%15%17%2010n=629%2011n=70%2012n=633%2013n=60%2014n=714%2015n=140%2016n=50%2017n=40%2018n=50%2019n=8
Charge-off rate by approval year: FY2010 17% of 6 loans; FY2011 29% of 7 loans; FY2012 0% of 6 loans; FY2013 33% of 6 loans; FY2014 0% of 7 loans; FY2015 14% of 14 loans; FY2016 0% of 5 loans; FY2017 0% of 4 loans; FY2018 0% of 5 loans; FY2019 0% of 8 loansCharge-off rate by approval year: FY2010 17% of 6 loans; FY2011 29% of 7 loans; FY2012 0% of 6 loans; FY2013 33% of 6 loans; FY2014 0% of 7 loans; FY2015 14% of 14 loans; FY2016 0% of 5 loans; FY2017 0% of 4 loans; FY2018 0% of 5 loans; FY2019 0% of 8 loans0%8%15%17%’10n=629%’11n=70%’12n=633%’13n=60%’14n=714%’15n=140%’16n=50%’17n=40%’18n=50%’19n=8

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.

Loans approved since 2020: FY2020 4; FY2021 5; FY2022 6; FY2023 3; FY2024 5; FY2025 2; FY2026 2Loans approved since 2020: FY2020 4; FY2021 5; FY2022 6; FY2023 3; FY2024 5; FY2025 2; FY2026 242020520216202232023520242202522026
Loans approved since 2020: FY2020 4; FY2021 5; FY2022 6; FY2023 3; FY2024 5; FY2025 2; FY2026 2Loans approved since 2020: FY2020 4; FY2021 5; FY2022 6; FY2023 3; FY2024 5; FY2025 2; FY2026 24’205’216’223’235’242’252’26

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

Show the numbers behind this chart
Fiscal yearLoansCharged offRate
FY20106116.7%
FY20117228.6%
FY2012600.0%
FY20136233.3%
FY2014700.0%
FY201514214.3%
FY2016500.0%
FY2017400.0%
FY2018500.0%
FY2019800.0%
FY20204—outstanding
FY20215—outstanding
FY20226—outstanding
FY20233—outstanding
FY20245—outstanding
FY20252—outstanding
FY20262—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 — a matured cohort, 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.

Frequently asked

What is Golden Corral's franchise failure rate on SBA loans?
Between 2010 and 2019, 68 Golden Corral franchisees financed with SBA 7(a) loans. 7 defaulted — a 10.3% charge-off rate, 1.1x the Full-Service Restaurants average of 9.6%. Source: U.S. Small Business Administration FOIA dataset, loan statuses as of June 30, 2026.
Is Golden Corral a safe franchise investment?
Between 2010–2019, Golden Corral franchisees defaulted on SBA loans at 10.3% versus a 9.6% industry average. This data is one input for due diligence; it is not investment advice.

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)