5 SBA loans have financed Hard Knocks locations since 2015, written by 4 different lenders across 4 states. Half were approved for $605K or less, the mix is almost entirely 7(a), and 100% 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.