SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · SOUTH DAKOTA
TACO JOHN'S franchise in South Dakota: what the public record shows
Franchisees of TACO JOHN'S in South Dakota have taken 8 SBA loans since 1991 (average $197,587)— too few resolved loans in-state to publish a local failure rate (we require a resolved cohort, never extrapolate), so the brand's national rate of 17.9% is the better guide. Its latest FDD Item 20 state table reports 36 franchised outlets in South Dakota (fiscal 2025) — about 3.9 per 100k residents.
Loans in SD
8
Resolved
5
Local charge-off
thin
National charge-off
17.9%
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = SD. 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 of 30 loans.
Businesses in this industry
1,496
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
161.8
national 179.9
Versus the country
-10%
thinner
Every business in TACO JOHN'S's industry operating in South Dakota — 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.
| Fiscal year | Franchised | Company-owned |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 38 | — |
| 2024 | 36 | — |
| 2025 | 36 | — |
| System | Loans in SD | Local charge-off | Units in SD |
|---|---|---|---|
| PIZZA RANCH | 34 | 3.8% | 19 |
| Culver's | 8 | thin | — |
| Jimmy John's | 8 | thin | — |
| SCOOTER'S COFFEE | 8 | thin | 25 |
| Kentucky Fried Chicken | 7 | thin | — |
| Marco's Pizza | 7 | thin | — |
| Cold Stone Creamery | 6 | thin | — |
| Tropical Smoothie Cafe | 6 | thin | 6 |
Same sector, same state, same public records — how TACO JOHN'S compares to the systems a buyer in South Dakota 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 TACO JOHN'S's numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.
Talk to an independent CPA before you buy →