SBA Ledger

Industries › Accommodation and Food Services › Food Services and Drinking Places › Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)

NAICS 7224Industry group0.6% of all approvals

SBA loans for drinking places (alcoholic beverages)

7(a) and 504 approvals to businesses SBA classifies under NAICS 7224, with the lenders and states behind them.

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 approved 1,960 loans to businesses in drinking places (alcoholic beverages) (NAICS 7224) in FY2021 to FY2025, worth $991M: 1,718 under 7(a) and 242 under 504.

That is 0.6% of all approvals. Set against the 40,835 establishments the Census Bureau counts in the industry, it comes to 48.0 approvals per 1,000 establishments; across all industries the figure is 41.0.

In FY2025 there were 437 approvals, about level with FY2024. The median 7(a) approval was $238K, against $190K for all industries, and 2.0% of approvals went to franchise businesses.

Of 7(a) loans approved in FY2010 to FY2021 and disbursed, SBA records 6.2% as charged off, close to the 6.6% for all industries.

1,960approvals, FY2021–FY2025FY2025: 437
$991Mdollars approved, FY2021–FY2025FY2025: $179M
$238Kmedian 7(a) approvalall industries: $190K
48.0approvals per 1,000 establishmentsall industries: 41.0
6.2%7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2021 charged offall industries: 6.6%

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.

Volume by fiscal year

Fiscal year7(a) approvals7(a) dollarsMedian 7(a)504 approvals504 dollarsAll approvalsJobs supported, as reported
FY2026*222$107M$250K37$30.4M2592,847
FY2025392$147M$178K45$32.8M4375,157
FY2024407$168M$173K38$28.0M4455,172
FY2023367$210M$300K50$39.3M4176,283
FY2022303$141M$241K78$61.0M3815,234
FY2021249$143M$321K31$22.3M2804,266
FY2020325$142M$195K43$26.4M3685,055
FY2019492$196M$196K39$30.1M5316,504
FY2018571$243M$200K41$28.2M6127,510
FY2017494$179M$150K46$26.1M5406,063
FY2016465$142M$150K27$16.4M4926,228

SBA records the NAICS code in force when a loan was approved. The 2022 NAICS revision renumbered parts of retail trade and information, so some lines of business appear under one code before FY2023 and another after. FY2016–FY2020 approvals under this code: 2,543.

Lenders most active in this industry

By number of approvals, FY2021–FY2025; 560 lenders had at least one.

#LenderApprovalsDollarsShare
1The Huntington National BankColumbus, OH185$50.1M9.4%
2Newtek Bank, National AssociationMiami, FL62$19.4M3.2%
3Northeast BankLewiston, ME52$6.6M2.7%
4Manufacturers and Traders Trust CompanyBuffalo, NY46$4.2M2.3%
5Readycap Lending, LLCBerkeley Heights, NJ45$17.6M2.3%
6KeyBank National AssociationCleveland, OH39$11.3M2.0%
7Newtek Small Business Finance, Inc.Lake Success, NY34$14.3M1.7%
8TD Bank, National AssociationWilmington, DE26$7.8M1.3%
9U.S. Bank, National AssociationCincinnati, OH25$4.1M1.3%
10Columbia BankLake Oswego, OR21$4.3M1.1%
11WBD, Inc.Madison, WI · CDC20$13.9M1.0%
12Wells Fargo Bank National AssociationSioux Falls, SD20$8.6M1.0%
13Zions Bank, A Division ofSalt Lake City, UT20$6.6M1.0%
14Harvest Small Business Finance, LLCLaguna Hills, CA19$20.4M1.0%
15Celtic Bank CorporationSalt Lake City, UT18$13.8M0.9%
16Nicolet National BankGreen Bay, WI18$7.8M0.9%
17Byline BankChicago, IL15$20.6M0.8%
18Small Business Growth CorporationSpringfield, IL · CDC15$15.3M0.8%
19SomerCor 504, Inc.Chicago, IL · CDC14$7.6M0.7%
20JPMorgan Chase Bank, National AssociationColumbus, OH14$2.9M0.7%

States

#State of the businessApprovalsDollarsShare
1California166$119M8.5%
2Wisconsin146$49.4M7.4%
3New York139$45.9M7.1%
4Ohio136$42.2M6.9%
5Texas120$87.7M6.1%
6Florida91$74.2M4.6%
7Pennsylvania89$39.7M4.5%
8Illinois85$52.8M4.3%
9North Carolina73$38.9M3.7%
10Michigan65$25.9M3.3%
11Colorado58$26.5M3.0%
12Minnesota57$33.0M2.9%
13Indiana46$25.1M2.3%
14Washington46$18.2M2.3%
15Georgia41$32.2M2.1%

Franchise brands

2.0% of approvals carried a franchise code.

#BrandApprovalsShare
1Voodoo Brewery70.4%
2The Brass Tap Craft Beer Bar50.3%
3Tapville Social40.2%
4Red Phone Booth20.1%
5Waters Edge Wineries20.1%
6Hoppin'20.1%
7Tipsy Scoops20.1%
8Blue Martini10.1%
9Casa Humilde10.1%
10Narwhal's Crafted10.1%

Approval sizes

Age of the businesses

Charge-offs against all industries

Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages), 7(a)6.2%
All industries, 7(a)6.6%
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages), 5042.5%
All industries, 5041.2%
Share of disbursed loans approved FY2010–FY2021 that SBA records as charged off.
Loans approved FY2010–FY2021This industry, 7(a)All 7(a)This industry, 504All 504
Approvals in these years4,522639,90544485,591
Cancelled or never disbursed56879,3137812,514
Disbursed loans3,954560,59236673,077
Paid in full2,941435,81316435,491
Charged off24736,8919905
Still outstanding (status exempt from disclosure)76687,88819336,681
Charged off, share of disbursed loans6.2%6.6%2.5%1.2%
Dollars charged off, share of disbursed dollars3.3%2.5%1.0%0.9%
Dollars charged off$45.1M$5.70bn$2.1M$499M

Against all industries

FY2021–FY2025NAICS 7224All industries
Median 7(a) approval$238K$190K
Median 504 approval$552K$657K
Average approval$506K$573K
Approvals per 1,000 establishments48.041.0
Approvals to franchise businesses2.0%11.2%
Jobs supported per approval, as reported13.310.5

Questions and answers

Which lenders make the most SBA loans for drinking places (alcoholic beverages)?

By approvals in FY2021 to FY2025: The Huntington National Bank (185), Newtek Bank, National Association (62), Northeast Bank (52), Manufacturers and Traders Trust Company (46), Readycap Lending, LLC (45). 560 lenders had at least one.

How large are typical SBA loans for drinking places (alcoholic beverages)?

The median 7(a) approval was $238K and the median 504 approval $552K; the average across both programs was $506K.

What share of SBA loans for drinking places (alcoholic beverages) are charged off?

Of 7(a) loans approved in FY2010 to FY2021 and disbursed, 6.2% are recorded as charged off, against 6.6% for all industries; for 504 loans, 2.5% against 1.2%.

Which states have the most SBA loans for drinking places (alcoholic beverages)?

California (166), Wisconsin (146), New York (139), Ohio (136), Texas (120).

Is SBA lending for drinking places (alcoholic beverages) rising?

Approvals in the three latest complete fiscal years total 1,299, against 1,029 in the three before: rising (+26%).

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. Establishment counts are from the Census Bureau's County Business Patterns 2023, which leaves out most farms, government and businesses without employees. Dollar figures behind fewer than three approvals are not shown, and no borrower is named anywhere on this site.Methodology · Report an error