9 SBA loans have financed R.j. Gators locations since 1994, written by 8 different lenders across 5 states. Half were approved for $657K or less, the mix is a mix of 7(a) and 504, and 89% 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.