74 SBA loans have financed Athlete's Foot locations since 1992, written by 35 different lenders across 28 states. Half were approved for $152K or less, the mix is almost entirely 7(a), and 68% went to owners whose business was under two years old.
A lender that has already underwritten this brand knows the unit economics, the build-out costs, and the franchisor. That is worth more to you than a bigger bank starting from scratch.