Franchise brands › Tropical Smoothie Cafe
Franchise brand387 approvals since FY2016
SBA loans to Tropical Smoothie Cafe franchises
Approvals SBA files under the brand's franchise code. The loans are to independent franchise owners; this page describes the brand in aggregate and no franchisee.
SBA approvals by fiscal year. The federal fiscal year runs 1 October to 30 September, so FY2025 is 1 October 2024 to 30 September 2025. *FY2026 is open: approvals to 30 Jun 2026 only.
SBA lists 387 loan approvals since FY2016 under the Tropical Smoothie Cafe franchise brand, worth $172M; 222 of them came in FY2021 to FY2025.
In FY2025 there were 52, up 86% on FY2024. The average approval in the five-year window was $495K, and 5 of the approvals were 504 loans.
30 lenders made the FY2021 to FY2025 loans across 31 states; the most active were Live Oak Banking Company (31), Citizens Bank (16) and The Huntington National Bank (16).
Of loans approved in FY2010 to FY2021 and disbursed, SBA records 1.1% as charged off, below the 6.0% for all SBA loans from those years. The figures describe loans to independent franchise owners, not the franchisor.
Loan status is as recorded by SBA at the data date; charge-off rates are computed on loans approved at least five fiscal years ago. Jobs supported are self-reported estimates from the SBA loan application, which SBA does not review, audit or validate. Data through 30 Jun 2026.
Loans by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Approvals | Dollars approved | Average approval | of which 504 | Jobs supported, as reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2026* | 32 | $16.7M | $523K | 0 | 466 |
| FY2025 | 52 | $30.1M | $578K | 1 | 933 |
| FY2024 | 28 | $14.4M | $514K | 0 | 538 |
| FY2023 | 32 | $18.2M | $569K | 1 | 876 |
| FY2022 | 37 | $19.2M | $519K | 2 | 1,063 |
| FY2021 | 73 | $28.0M | $383K | 1 | 1,742 |
| FY2020 | 29 | $10.0M | $344K | 0 | 641 |
| FY2019 | 61 | $22.3M | $366K | 1 | 1,442 |
| FY2018 | 42 | $12.7M | $303K | 0 | 1,147 |
| FY2017 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 |
| FY2016 | 1 | — | — | 0 | 11 |
SBA's franchise field lists the brand as "Tropical Smoothie Cafe". Codes SBA has used for the same brand name are added together.
Charge-off cohort rate
| Loans approved FY2010–FY2021 | Tropical Smoothie Cafe | All SBA loans |
|---|---|---|
| Approvals in these years | 206 | 725,496 |
| Cancelled or never disbursed | 26 | 91,827 |
| Disbursed loans | 180 | 633,669 |
| Paid in full | 113 | 471,304 |
| Charged off | 2 | 37,796 |
| Still outstanding (status exempt from disclosure) | 65 | 124,569 |
| Charged off, share of disbursed loans | 1.1% | 6.0% |
| Dollars charged off, share of disbursed dollars | 0.6% | 2.2% |
| Dollars charged off | $401K | $6.20bn |
Lenders
| # | Lender, FY2021–FY2025 | Approvals | Dollars | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Live Oak Banking CompanyWilmington, NC | 31 | $20.1M | 14.0% | |
| 2 | Citizens BankElizabethton, TN | 16 | $7.3M | 7.2% | |
| 3 | The Huntington National BankColumbus, OH | 16 | $4.9M | 7.2% | |
| 4 | The Bancorp Bank National AssociationSioux Falls, SD | 12 | $8.3M | 5.4% | |
| 5 | United Community BankGreenville, SC | 11 | $5.4M | 5.0% | |
| 6 | SouthState Bank, National AssociationWinter Haven, FL | 7 | $3.8M | 3.2% | |
| 7 | ConnectOne BankEnglewood Cliffs, NJ | 6 | $3.3M | 2.7% | |
| 8 | Meridian BankMalvern, PA | 6 | $2.6M | 2.7% | |
| 9 | Manufacturers and Traders Trust CompanyBuffalo, NY | 5 | $740K | 2.3% | |
| 10 | Truliant FCUWinston-Salem, NC | 4 | $5.0M | 1.8% | |
| 11 | TD Bank, National AssociationWilmington, DE | 4 | $2.5M | 1.8% | |
| 12 | KeyBank National AssociationCleveland, OH | 4 | $2.1M | 1.8% | |
| 13 | Five Star BankRancho Cordova, CA | 4 | $1.6M | 1.8% | |
| 14 | Pineland BankAlma, GA | 4 | $1.2M | 1.8% | |
| 15 | TowneBankPortsmouth, VA | 3 | $2.4M | 1.4% |
States
| # | State of the business, FY2021–FY2025 | Approvals | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas | 31 | 14.0% | |
| 2 | Florida | 29 | 13.1% | |
| 3 | North Carolina | 17 | 7.7% | |
| 4 | New York | 15 | 6.8% | |
| 5 | Georgia | 15 | 6.8% | |
| 6 | Pennsylvania | 13 | 5.9% | |
| 7 | Maryland | 9 | 4.1% | |
| 8 | Illinois | 8 | 3.6% | |
| 9 | Michigan | 7 | 3.2% | |
| 10 | Arizona | 7 | 3.2% | |
| 11 | Kentucky | 7 | 3.2% | |
| 12 | Massachusetts | 7 | 3.2% | |
| 13 | South Carolina | 6 | 2.7% | |
| 14 | Louisiana | 6 | 2.7% | |
| 15 | Ohio | 6 | 2.7% |
Filed under
| # | Industry group | Approvals | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Restaurants and Other Eating PlacesNAICS 7225 | 216 | 97.3% | |
| 2 | Specialty Food StoresNAICS 4452 | 3 | 1.4% | |
| 3 | Lessors of Real EstateNAICS 5311 | 1 | 0.5% | |
| 4 | Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting ServicesNAICS 5416 | 1 | 0.5% | |
| 5 | Special Food ServicesNAICS 7223 | 1 | 0.5% |
Approval sizes
- $50,000 or less5.4%12
- $50,001 to $150,0002.7%6
- $150,001 to $350,00022.1%49
- $350,001 to $1 million64.9%144
- $1 million to $2 million3.6%8
- Over $2 million1.4%3
Age of the businesses
- Existing, more than 2 years old11.7%26
- New business, 2 years or less12.6%28
- Startup, loan funds will open the business65.8%146
- Change of ownership9.5%21
- Not answered0.5%1
Questions and answers
How many SBA loans go to Tropical Smoothie Cafe franchises?
387 approvals since FY2016, worth $172M; 222 in FY2021 to FY2025.
Which lenders make SBA loans for Tropical Smoothie Cafe franchises?
By approvals in FY2021 to FY2025: Live Oak Banking Company (31), Citizens Bank (16), The Huntington National Bank (16), The Bancorp Bank National Association (12), United Community Bank (11).
How large is a typical SBA loan for a Tropical Smoothie Cafe franchise?
The average approval in FY2021 to FY2025 was $495K.
What share of Tropical Smoothie Cafe SBA loans are charged off?
Of 180 disbursed loans approved in FY2010 to FY2021, 2 (1.1%) are recorded as charged off; for all SBA loans from those years the figure is 6.0%.
Are SBA loans to Tropical Smoothie Cafe franchises rising?
Approvals in the three latest complete fiscal years total 112, against 139 in the three before: falling (-19%).
About these figures
Figures are totals of the Small Business Administration's 7(a) and 504 FOIA loan files, data through 30 Jun 2026. SBA updates the files quarterly. Counts are loan approvals, including approvals later cancelled; the five-year window is FY2021–FY2025, the five latest complete fiscal years. Charge-off rates use only loans approved in FY2010–FY2021, at least five fiscal years ago, and count disbursed loans SBA records as charged off. Loans are listed under the lender they are assigned to today. Dollar figures behind fewer than three approvals are not shown, and no borrower is named anywhere on this site.Methodology · Report an error