Franchise Failure Rates

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

Taco Bell Franchise Failure Rate: 4.8% SBA Loan Defaults (2010–2019 Federal Data)

4.8%
charge-off rate on 21 SBA 7(a) loans to Taco Bell franchisees, FY2010–2019
Charge-off rate, SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019 — Taco Bell against its industry and all franchises
Charge-off rate, SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019: Taco Bell 4.8%; Limited-Service Restaurants 10.3%; All franchises 10.2%Taco Bell 4.8%; Limited-Service Restaurants 10.3%; All franchises 10.2%0%2%4%6%8%10%Taco Bell4.8%Limited-ServiceRestaurants10.3%All franchises10.2%
Charge-off rate, SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019: Taco Bell 4.8%; Limited-Service Restaurants 10.3%; All franchises 10.2%Taco Bell 4.8%; Limited-Service Restaurants 10.3%; All franchises 10.2%0%2%4%6%8%10%Taco Bell4.8%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 21 Taco Bell SBA borrowers failed to repay — well below the Limited-Service Restaurants average of 10.3%.

Between 2010 and 2019, 21 Taco Bell franchisees financed with SBA 7(a) loans. 1 defaulted — a 4.8% charge-off rate, 0.5x 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 Taco Bell franchise failure rate on SBA loans?

Taco Bell 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 Taco Bell franchisees: 21 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 Taco Bell compare with other Limited-Service Restaurants franchises?

The table sets Taco Bell'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.

Taco Bell versus benchmarks, SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019, statuses as of June 30, 2026. Source: U.S. SBA FOIA dataset.
MeasureTaco BellLimited-Service RestaurantsAll franchisesAll SBA borrowers
Default (charge-off) rate4.8%10.3%10.2%8.0%
Loans in sample21———
Defaults1———
Average loan size$580,981———

What has Taco Bell SBA lending looked like since 2020?

Since 2020, Taco Bell franchisees have taken 8 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 Taco Bell 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 6 loans; FY2011 33% of 3 loans; FY2012 0% of 5 loans; FY2014 0% of 2 loans; FY2015 0% of 3 loans; FY2017 0% of 1 loans; FY2018 0% of 1 loansCharge-off rate by approval year: FY2010 0% of 6 loans; FY2011 33% of 3 loans; FY2012 0% of 5 loans; FY2014 0% of 2 loans; FY2015 0% of 3 loans; FY2017 0% of 1 loans; FY2018 0% of 1 loans0%5%10%0%2010n=633%2011n=30%2012n=50%2014n=20%2015n=30%2017n=10%2018n=1
Charge-off rate by approval year: FY2010 0% of 6 loans; FY2011 33% of 3 loans; FY2012 0% of 5 loans; FY2014 0% of 2 loans; FY2015 0% of 3 loans; FY2017 0% of 1 loans; FY2018 0% of 1 loansCharge-off rate by approval year: FY2010 0% of 6 loans; FY2011 33% of 3 loans; FY2012 0% of 5 loans; FY2014 0% of 2 loans; FY2015 0% of 3 loans; FY2017 0% of 1 loans; FY2018 0% of 1 loans0%5%10%0%’10n=633%’11n=30%’12n=50%’14n=20%’15n=30%’17n=10%’18n=1

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 1; FY2022 1; FY2023 1; FY2024 1Loans approved since 2020: FY2020 4; FY2021 1; FY2022 1; FY2023 1; FY2024 14202012021120221202312024
Loans approved since 2020: FY2020 4; FY2021 1; FY2022 1; FY2023 1; FY2024 1Loans approved since 2020: FY2020 4; FY2021 1; FY2022 1; FY2023 1; FY2024 14’201’211’221’231’24

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

Show the numbers behind this chart
Fiscal yearLoansCharged offRate
FY2010600.0%
FY20113133.3%
FY2012500.0%
FY2014200.0%
FY2015300.0%
FY2017100.0%
FY2018100.0%
FY20204—outstanding
FY20211—outstanding
FY20221—outstanding
FY20231—outstanding
FY20241—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?

Taco Bell's figure rests on 21 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 21 resolved loans, one default moves the rate by about 4.8 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 Taco Bell figure is recomputed from the public SBA FOIA file on each rebuild.

Based on 21 resolved loans — directional, not precise.

Frequently asked

What is Taco Bell's franchise failure rate on SBA loans?
Between 2010 and 2019, 21 Taco Bell franchisees financed with SBA 7(a) loans. 1 defaulted — a 4.8% charge-off rate, 0.5x the Limited-Service Restaurants average of 10.3%. Source: U.S. Small Business Administration FOIA dataset, loan statuses as of June 30, 2026.
Is Taco Bell a safe franchise investment?
Between 2010–2019, Taco Bell franchisees defaulted on SBA loans at 4.8% 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). Taco Bell franchise SBA 7(a) default rate, FY2010–FY2019 cohort: 4.8% (1 of 21 loans charged off). Derived from U.S. SBA FOIA data, loan statuses as of June 30, 2026.

https://franchisefailurerates.com/franchise/taco-bell/ · Data & methodology · Download the dataset (CSV)