31 SBA loans have financed Friendly's locations since 2001, written by 21 different lenders across 9 states. Half were approved for $410K or less, the mix is almost entirely 7(a), and 32% 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.