Franchise Failure Rates

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

Popeye's Famous Fried Chicken Franchise Failure Rate: 0.0% SBA Loan Defaults (2010–2019 Federal Data)

0.0%
charge-off rate on 22 SBA 7(a) loans to Popeye's Famous Fried Chicken franchisees, FY2010–2019
Charge-off rate, SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019 — Popeye's Famous Fried Chicken against its industry and all franchises
Charge-off rate, SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019: Popeye's Famous Fried Chicken 0.0%; Limited-Service Restaurants 10.3%; All franchises 10.2%Popeye's Famous Fried Chicken 0.0%; Limited-Service Restaurants 10.3%; All franchises 10.2%0%2%4%6%8%10%Popeye's Famous FriedChicken0.0%Limited-ServiceRestaurants10.3%All franchises10.2%
Charge-off rate, SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019: Popeye's Famous Fried Chicken 0.0%; Limited-Service Restaurants 10.3%; All franchises 10.2%Popeye's Famous Fried Chicken 0.0%; Limited-Service Restaurants 10.3%; All franchises 10.2%0%2%4%6%8%10%Popeye's Famous Fried Chicken0.0%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.

None of the 22 Popeye's Famous Fried Chicken SBA borrowers in the sample failed to repay — well below the Limited-Service Restaurants average of 10.3%.

Between 2010 and 2019, 22 Popeye's Famous Fried Chicken franchisees financed with SBA 7(a) loans. None defaulted — a 0.0% charge-off rate, against a 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 Popeye's Famous Fried Chicken franchise failure rate on SBA loans?

Popeye's Famous Fried Chicken 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 Popeye's Famous Fried Chicken franchisees: 22 loans approved between fiscal 2010 and 2019, of which 0 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 Popeye's Famous Fried Chicken compare with other Limited-Service Restaurants franchises?

The table sets Popeye's Famous Fried Chicken'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.

Popeye's Famous Fried Chicken versus benchmarks, SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019, statuses as of June 30, 2026. Source: U.S. SBA FOIA dataset.
MeasurePopeye's Famous Fried ChickenLimited-Service RestaurantsAll franchisesAll SBA borrowers
Default (charge-off) rate0.0%10.3%10.2%8.0%
Loans in sample22———
Defaults0———
Average loan size$772,655———
Charge-off rate by approval year — share of each fiscal year's Popeye's Famous Fried Chicken 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 0% of 3 loans; FY2011 0% of 8 loans; FY2012 0% of 4 loans; FY2013 0% of 7 loansCharge-off rate by approval year: FY2010 0% of 3 loans; FY2011 0% of 8 loans; FY2012 0% of 4 loans; FY2013 0% of 7 loans0%5%10%0%2010n=30%2011n=80%2012n=40%2013n=7
Charge-off rate by approval year: FY2010 0% of 3 loans; FY2011 0% of 8 loans; FY2012 0% of 4 loans; FY2013 0% of 7 loansCharge-off rate by approval year: FY2010 0% of 3 loans; FY2011 0% of 8 loans; FY2012 0% of 4 loans; FY2013 0% of 7 loans0%5%10%0%’10n=30%’11n=80%’12n=40%’13n=7

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

Show the numbers behind this chart
Fiscal yearLoansCharged offRate
FY2010300.0%
FY2011800.0%
FY2012400.0%
FY2013700.0%

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?

Popeye's Famous Fried Chicken's figure rests on 22 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 22 resolved loans, one default moves the rate by about 4.5 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 Popeye's Famous Fried Chicken figure is recomputed from the public SBA FOIA file on each rebuild.

Based on 22 resolved loans — directional, not precise.

Frequently asked

What is Popeye's Famous Fried Chicken's franchise failure rate on SBA loans?
Between 2010 and 2019, 22 Popeye's Famous Fried Chicken franchisees financed with SBA 7(a) loans. None defaulted — a 0.0% charge-off rate, against a Limited-Service Restaurants average of 10.3%. Source: U.S. Small Business Administration FOIA dataset, loan statuses as of June 30, 2026.
Is Popeye's Famous Fried Chicken a safe franchise investment?
Between 2010–2019, Popeye's Famous Fried Chicken franchisees defaulted on SBA loans at 0.0% 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). Popeye's Famous Fried Chicken franchise SBA 7(a) default rate, FY2010–FY2019 cohort: 0.0% (0 of 22 loans charged off). Derived from U.S. SBA FOIA data, loan statuses as of June 30, 2026.

https://franchisefailurerates.com/franchise/popeyes-famous-fried-chicken/ · Data & methodology · Download the dataset (CSV)