Franchise · SBA lending record
SONIC DRIVE-IN: how its 35 SBA loans actually performed
Limited-Service Restaurants · 35 units financed with SBA 7(a) loans since 2010 · 12 lenders have funded this brand.
No defaults on record
None of the 35 seasoned SBA loans to SONIC DRIVE-IN charged off within seven years — a 0.0% rate, against 5.7% across all SBA 7(a) loans.
How this brand compares
share of owners who defaulted within seven yearsFranchise disclosure documents are not required to tell you how many owners failed. This is computed from the federal record of every SBA loan made to this brand, so it is the outcome, not the pitch.
When owners got into trouble
share of failures by yearFailures usually cluster once the opening cash is spent and the first rent increase lands. Plan working capital for that window, not for month one.
Who still lends on it
last two fiscal yearsNo lender funded a unit of this brand in the last two fiscal years on record. That is itself worth knowing — it usually means banks have stepped back, which makes financing harder and pricier.
Fewer active lenders means less competition on your rate, and a harder time if the first bank declines.
Each year's owners, as they aged
cumulative % of loan dollars charged offNot enough history yet to build a triangle.
Each row is one year's crop of new owners. Read across to watch them age; read down a column to compare different years at the same point in their life. Blank cells are simply too recent to know.
Brands worth comparing against this one
A default rate only means something next to its neighbours. These are the brands yours is being compared against.
Before you sign anything
This page tells you how past owners fared with SBA debt. It does not tell you whether this brand suits you, what the territory looks like, or how the franchisor behaves. Ask for Item 19, talk to at least five current franchisees and two who left, and run your own numbers.
Check whether the numbers work → What the SBA Franchise Directory is →
Common questions
What percentage of SONIC DRIVE-IN franchises default on their SBA loans?
None. Of the 35 SONIC DRIVE-IN franchises that took an SBA 7(a) loan and are old enough to judge, zero had been charged off within seven years — a 0% default rate, against roughly 5.7% across all 7(a) loans. That is an unusually clean record.
Is SONIC DRIVE-IN a good franchise to buy with an SBA loan?
This page can only tell you how SONIC DRIVE-IN's SBA loans have performed, not whether it will work for you. A low default rate — SONIC DRIVE-IN sits at 0% — is a genuine positive: banks tend to lend more readily, and on better terms, to brands with a clean record. Still, treat it as one input alongside the franchise disclosure document and your own numbers.
How many SONIC DRIVE-IN franchises took SBA loans?
At least 35 SONIC DRIVE-IN franchises financed with an SBA 7(a) loan are now old enough to judge, and none of them have been charged off. Compare SONIC DRIVE-IN against other brands.