Franchise Failure Rates

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

Rita's Real Italian Water Ice Franchise Failure Rate: 5.0% SBA Loan Defaults (2010–2019 Federal Data)

5.0%
charge-off rate on 20 SBA 7(a) loans to Rita's Real Italian Water Ice franchisees, FY2010–2019
Charge-off rate, SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019 — Rita's Real Italian Water Ice against its industry and all franchises
Charge-off rate, SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019: Rita's Real Italian Water Ice 5.0%; Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars 10.1%; All franchises 10.2%Rita's Real Italian Water Ice 5.0%; Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars 10.1%; All franchises 10.2%0%2%4%6%8%10%Rita's Real ItalianWater Ice5.0%Snack and NonalcoholicBeverage Bars10.1%All franchises10.2%
Charge-off rate, SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019: Rita's Real Italian Water Ice 5.0%; Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars 10.1%; All franchises 10.2%Rita's Real Italian Water Ice 5.0%; Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars 10.1%; All franchises 10.2%0%2%4%6%8%10%Rita's Real Italian Water Ice5.0%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 20 Rita's Real Italian Water Ice SBA borrowers failed to repay — well below the Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars average of 10.1%.

Between 2010 and 2019, 20 Rita's Real Italian Water Ice franchisees financed with SBA 7(a) loans. 1 defaulted — a 5.0% charge-off rate, 0.5x 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 Rita's Real Italian Water Ice franchise failure rate on SBA loans?

Rita's Real Italian Water Ice 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 Rita's Real Italian Water Ice franchisees: 20 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 Rita's Real Italian Water Ice compare with other Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars franchises?

The table sets Rita's Real Italian Water Ice'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.

Rita's Real Italian Water Ice versus benchmarks, SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019, statuses as of June 30, 2026. Source: U.S. SBA FOIA dataset.
MeasureRita's Real Italian Water IceSnack and Nonalcoholic Beverage BarsAll franchisesAll SBA borrowers
Default (charge-off) rate5.0%10.1%10.2%8.0%
Loans in sample20———
Defaults1———
Average loan size$219,055———
Charge-off rate by approval year — share of each fiscal year's Rita's Real Italian Water Ice 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 5 loans; FY2011 12% of 8 loans; FY2012 0% of 2 loans; FY2013 0% of 5 loansCharge-off rate by approval year: FY2010 0% of 5 loans; FY2011 12% of 8 loans; FY2012 0% of 2 loans; FY2013 0% of 5 loans0%5%10%0%2010n=512%2011n=80%2012n=20%2013n=5
Charge-off rate by approval year: FY2010 0% of 5 loans; FY2011 12% of 8 loans; FY2012 0% of 2 loans; FY2013 0% of 5 loansCharge-off rate by approval year: FY2010 0% of 5 loans; FY2011 12% of 8 loans; FY2012 0% of 2 loans; FY2013 0% of 5 loans0%5%10%0%’10n=512%’11n=80%’12n=20%’13n=5

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

Show the numbers behind this chart
Fiscal yearLoansCharged offRate
FY2010500.0%
FY20118112.5%
FY2012200.0%
FY2013500.0%

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?

Rita's Real Italian Water Ice's figure rests on 20 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 20 resolved loans, one default moves the rate by about 5.0 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 Rita's Real Italian Water Ice figure is recomputed from the public SBA FOIA file on each rebuild.

Based on 20 resolved loans — directional, not precise.

Frequently asked

What is Rita's Real Italian Water Ice's franchise failure rate on SBA loans?
Between 2010 and 2019, 20 Rita's Real Italian Water Ice franchisees financed with SBA 7(a) loans. 1 defaulted — a 5.0% charge-off rate, 0.5x 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 Rita's Real Italian Water Ice a safe franchise investment?
Between 2010–2019, Rita's Real Italian Water Ice franchisees defaulted on SBA loans at 5.0% 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). Rita's Real Italian Water Ice franchise SBA 7(a) default rate, FY2010–FY2019 cohort: 5.0% (1 of 20 loans charged off). Derived from U.S. SBA FOIA data, loan statuses as of June 30, 2026.

https://franchisefailurerates.com/franchise/ritas-real-italian-water-ice/ · Data & methodology · Download the dataset (CSV)