3 SBA loans have financed Paciugo Gelato & Caffe locations since 2016, written by 3 different lenders across 1 states. Half were approved for $224K or less, the mix is almost entirely 7(a), and 67% 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.