3 SBA loans have financed Zeppe's Italian Ice and Frozen Custard locations since 2025, written by 3 different lenders across 2 states. Half were approved for $392K or less, the mix is a mix of 7(a) and 504, 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.