174 SBA loans have financed Rita's Ice-Custard-Happiness locations since 2001, written by 61 different lenders across 24 states. Half were approved for $250K or less, the mix is almost entirely 7(a), and 62% 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.