120 SBA loans have financed Cousins Submarines locations since 1991, written by 30 different lenders across 11 states. Half were approved for $158K or less, the mix is almost entirely 7(a), and 47% 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.