3 SBA loans have financed South Bend Chocolate Company locations since 2004, written by 3 different lenders across 3 states. Half were approved for $192K or less, the mix is 504-heavy, 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.