SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · CALIFORNIA
Papa Johns franchise in California: what the public record shows
Franchisees of Papa Johns in California have taken 44 SBA loans since 1991 (average $433,720), and of the 31 loans whose story has ended, 22.6% were charged off — versus 18.0% for Papa Johns nationally and 14.8% across all rateable franchise brands.
Loans in CA
44
Resolved
31
Local charge-off
22.6%
National charge-off
18.0%
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = CA. 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.
Businesses in this industry
79,264
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
201
national 179.9
Versus the country
+12%
denser
Every business in Papa Johns's industry operating in California — 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.
| System | Loans in CA | Local charge-off | Units in CA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quiznos | 346 | 27.4% | — |
| Cold Stone Creamery | 244 | 15.1% | — |
| Baskin-Robbins 31 Ice Cream | 170 | 16.8% | — |
| Togo'S Eatery | 146 | 17.1% | — |
| Mountain Mike'S Pizza | 127 | 13.4% | — |
| Juice It Up | 97 | 27.3% | — |
| Round Table Pizza | 97 | 3.3% | — |
| Wienerschnitzel | 91 | 18.3% | — |
| Papa Murphy'S Take & Bake Pizza | 82 | 2.9% | — |
| Wetzel'S Pretzel | 80 | 9.4% | — |
| Wingstop Restaurant | 74 | 6.7% | — |
| Yogurtland | 73 | 5.7% | — |
Same sector, same state, same public records — how Papa Johns compares to the systems a buyer in California would actually be choosing between. Local rates under 10 resolved loans are marked thin, not hidden.
A broker is paid by the franchisor to place you. An independent CPA is paid by you — and the job is pressure-testing Papa Johns's numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.
Talk to an independent CPA before you buy →