4 SBA loans have financed Merlin's 200,000 Miles Shop locations since 2014, written by 4 different lenders across 1 states. Half were approved for $168K or less, the mix is almost entirely 7(a), and 50% 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.