FRANCHISE·WATCH·DESK

SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · PENNSYLVANIA

Manhattan Bagel franchise in Pennsylvania: what the public record shows

Franchisees of Manhattan Bagel in Pennsylvania have taken 36 SBA loans since 1991 (average $171,880), and of the 32 loans whose story has ended, 9.4% were charged off — versus 17.7% for Manhattan Bagel nationally and 14.8% across all rateable franchise brands.

SBA loan outcomes · Pennsylvaniavs national

Loans in PA

36

Resolved

32

Local charge-off

9.4%

National charge-off

17.7%

Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = PA. Charge-off rate = charged-off ÷ (charged-off + paid-in-full); open loans excluded. A local rate is published only when the resolved cohort clears our floor.

Market density · Pennsylvania vs nationalTypical density

Businesses in this industry

22,134

statewide, all operators

Per 100k residents

169.2

national 179.9

Versus the country

-6%

thinner

Every business in Manhattan Bagel's industry operating in Pennsylvania — franchised and independent — from the Census Bureau's County Business Patterns (2023), against 2024 population estimates. Counter-intuitively, density is not a warning: across 198 brand-state cells in our loan data, the densest quartile charges off at 5.6% versus 18.1% in the thinnest. A crowded market is usually proven demand; an empty one is often empty for a reason.

Same-sector systems with SBA loan history in Pennsylvania12 systems

Same sector, same state, same public records — how Manhattan Bagel compares to the systems a buyer in Pennsylvania would actually be choosing between. Local rates under 10 resolved loans are marked thin, not hidden.

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