How much do lenders finance for a Smashburger franchise?

The median SBA loan approved for a Smashburger franchise is $450,000, with the middle 80% of loans between $250,000 and $1,200,000. That is the financed portion only - it excludes the buyer's equity injection, which SBA lenders typically require at 10% or more of total project cost for a business acquisition or new franchise unit.

Which lenders finance Smashburger franchises?

By dollars approved, the most active SBA lenders for Smashburger have been Fulton Bank, Enterprise Bank & Trust, First Community Bank, Celtic Bank Corporation. Many franchise brands also maintain their own lists of preferred lenders, which may differ from who has historically approved the most volume.

How long are Smashburger SBA loans?

The median term is 7 yr. SBA 7(a) terms run up to 10 years for working capital and equipment, and up to 25 years when the loan is secured by real estate - so a longer median usually means the loans included property.

Franchise financing

Financing a Smashburger franchise

SBA lenders have approved 13 loans against the Smashburger brand since FY2010, totalling $7.8M. The median approval was $450,000. These are loans that actually closed - not projections from a disclosure document.

Rank by loan count

#1321

of 1,651 brands

Loans approved

FY2010 onward

Median loan

$450,000

Typical range

$250K-$1.2M

Middle 80% of loans

Median term

7 yr

Charge-off rate

Cohort too small

Source: U.S. Small Business Administration, SBA 7(a) and 504 FOIA data, as of 2026-06-30. Approvals from FY2010 onward. How we calculate this.

Lenders

Who financed Smashburger

Lender	Loans	Approved
Fulton Bank	2	$2.1M
Enterprise Bank & Trust	2	$1.8M
First Community Bank	1	$855K
Celtic Bank Corporation	1	$824K
PNC Bank	1	$463K
Western Alliance Bank	1	$450K
First Internet Bank of Indiana	1	$313K
Byline Bank	1	$303K

Geography

Where Smashburger units were financed

State	Loans	Share
California	2
Arizona	2
Pennsylvania	2
North Carolina	2
Kansas	1
Texas	1
Iowa	1
Utah	1

Approvals by fiscal year

’11

’12

’13

’14

’16

’17

’20

’21

’23

’24

Loan count by fiscal year - a rough proxy for how fast the brand was opening units. Final bar is a partial year.

Loan sizes

$150K - $350K
46%
$350K - $1M
38%
$1M - $2M
15%

Financing a Smashburger: common questions

How much do lenders finance for a Smashburger franchise?: The median SBA loan approved for a Smashburger franchise is $450,000, with the middle 80% of loans between $250,000 and $1,200,000. That is the financed portion only - it excludes the buyer's equity injection, which SBA lenders typically require at 10% or more of total project cost for a business acquisition or new franchise unit.
Which lenders finance Smashburger franchises?: By dollars approved, the most active SBA lenders for Smashburger have been Fulton Bank, Enterprise Bank & Trust, First Community Bank, Celtic Bank Corporation. Many franchise brands also maintain their own lists of preferred lenders, which may differ from who has historically approved the most volume.
How long are Smashburger SBA loans?: The median term is 7 yr. SBA 7(a) terms run up to 10 years for working capital and equipment, and up to 25 years when the loan is secured by real estate - so a longer median usually means the loans included property.

Compare other brands

Median loan size and charge-off rate across every franchise in the SBA record.

How SBA 7(a) works

The programme most franchise buyers use, explained end to end.

Buying a franchise with an SBA loan

Equity injection, the franchise directory, and what lenders check.

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