Philly Connection
The total investment to open a Philly Connection franchise ranges from $84,940 to $180,000. The initial franchise fee is $18,500.
What is the Philly Connection franchise?
Philly Connection is a limited service restaurant that sells cheesesteak sandwiches to customers.
The estimated total initial investment is $84,940 to $180,000, and the initial franchise fee is $18,500.
Philly Connection was founded in 1984 and is headquartered in Atlanta, GA.
Loan Activity Score
21/100
SBA Default Rate
32.4%
Active Lenders
36
According to its Franchise Disclosure Document or public business records, Philly Connection has 68 locations, all owned by franchisees. Public SBA loan records show 36 lenders made 102 loans to franchisees of Philly Connection. PeerSense calculates Philly Connection's score as 21 out of 100, using public SBA loan performance and recent lending activity.
Franchising since 1984 · 68 locations
$84,940 to $180,000
$18,500
68
68 franchised
Proprietary PeerSense metric
LimitedDistinct lenders in public SBA records for Philly Connection
102
Total SBA loans
$135K
Average loan size
Source: public SBA 7(a) and 504 loan records through December 31, 2025
Referral fee at closing
SBA Lending Activity for Philly Connection
Loan Activity Score Breakdown
Major Brand (100+ loans)
Are lenders increasingly or decreasingly funding this brand? Growing trends score highest.
Blended default rate (recent + all time) compared to NAICS sector peers.
Quality lenders actively backing this brand, with penalty for lender pullback.
FDD availability, Item 19 disclosure, and overall data completeness.
Geographic spread of SBA funded locations across states.
SBA Lending Performance
SBA Default Rate
32.4%
vs 10.3% peer avg
SBA Loans
102
Total Volume
$13.7M
Active Lenders
36
5 selective
States
8
vs. SBA Sector Average
SBA loan default rate vs. all franchises in the same NAICS sector, not limited to direct competitors
Key Highlights
Franchise Financing Resources
Data Insights
Key performance metrics for Philly Connection based on SBA lending data
SBA Default Rate
32.4%
22.1% above peer avg
SBA Loan Volume
102 loans
Across 36 lenders
Lender Diversity
36 lenders
Avg 2.8 loans per lender
Investment Tier
Mid range investment
$84,940 to $180,000 total
Philly Connection: Deep SBA Data
Brand specific metrics derived directly from SBA 7(a) approval records: peak lending year, leading state, average loan size, and lender concentration. PeerSense computes these per brand so capital advisors and prospective franchisees can benchmark this opportunity against the rest of the franchise universe.
Peak SBA Year
2004
25 approvals. The best year on record for Philly Connection.
Top SBA State
Georgia
45 SBA financed Philly Connection locations, the densest operator footprint.
Average Loan Size
$135K
Median $137K. Use as a sizing anchor when modeling your own Philly Connection unit.
Lender Concentration
27.5%
Moderately Spread
Share of Philly Connection approvals captured by the top 3 SBA lenders.
Philly Connection's SBA lending pipeline peaked in 2004 (25 approvals). Operator density is highest in Georgia with 45 SBA financed locations. Average funded ticket sits at $135K, with the median at $137K. Lender mix is moderately spread: the top three SBA lenders account for 27.5% of approvals. Meaningful choice exists, but specific lenders carry the brand.
Payment Estimator
Estimated Monthly Payment
$879
Principal & Interest only
Indicative only, as of October 1, 2026. Not a quote, commitment or offer of credit. Final pricing, leverage and terms are determined by the lender at underwriting, after full transaction materials are reviewed. PeerSense sources the file. The lender sets pricing. What these terms mean.
Locations
Philly Connection, unit breakdown
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Reviewed by Edward L. Freeman, Founder and Managing Director, PeerSense
- PeerSense is a capital advisory firm that places commercial financing with direct capital sources; it does not lend, fund, or approve loans, and the capital source sets final terms.
- Edward L. Freeman founded PeerSense in January 2020.
- He is a Registered Franchise Consultant with Business Alliance, Inc., a credential issued in March 2022, and worked as a franchise consultant there from March 2022 to May 2023.
- His recorded experience includes a $22 million SBA construction loan, with about $16 million funded on the deal.
- In the 12 months through September 30, 2026, PeerSense tracked 912 publicly announced financings with a disclosed size of $361.32 billion. PeerSense Capital Data Report · Methodology page
Last reviewed LinkedIn profileAbout Edward Freeman