TCBY
The total investment to open a TCBY franchise ranges from $135,000 to $699,467. The initial franchise fee is $35,000. Ongoing royalties are 6% plus a 3% advertising fee.
What is the TCBY franchise?
TCBY is a franchise business that sells frozen yogurt to customers. The 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document estimates a total initial investment of $135,000 to $699,467 and lists an initial franchise fee of $35,000.
The royalty is 6 percent of sales, and the advertising or brand fund fee is 3 percent. The franchise agreement term is 10 years.
TCBY was founded in 1981 and began franchising in 1982. Its headquarters are in AUSTIN, TX.
Loan Activity Score
31/100
SBA Default Rate
19.0%
Active Lenders
101
According to its Franchise Disclosure Document or public business records, TCBY has 188 locations, all owned by franchisees. Public SBA loan records show 101 lenders made 247 loans to franchisees of TCBY. PeerSense calculates TCBY's score as 31 out of 100, using public SBA loan performance and recent lending activity. Cost figures are based on the 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document.
Franchising since 1981 · 188 locations
$135,000 to $699,467
$35,000
188
188 franchised
Proprietary PeerSense metric
LimitedDistinct lenders in public SBA records for TCBY
247
Total SBA loans
$153K
Average loan size
Source: public SBA 7(a) and 504 loan records through December 31, 2025
Referral fee at closing
SBA Lending Activity for TCBY
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
19.0%
vs 10.8% peer avg
SBA Loans
247
Total Volume
$37.7M
Active Lenders
101
20 selective
States
43
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 TCBY based on SBA lending data
SBA Default Rate
19.0%
8.2% above peer avg
SBA Loan Volume
247 loans
Across 101 lenders
Lender Diversity
101 lenders
Avg 2.4 loans per lender
Investment Tier
Significant investment
$135,000 to $699,467 total
TCBY: 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
1996
30 approvals. The best year on record for TCBY.
Top SBA State
Texas
44 SBA financed TCBY locations, the densest operator footprint.
Average Loan Size
$153K
Median $114K. Use as a sizing anchor when modeling your own TCBY unit.
Lender Concentration
20.2%
Moderately Spread
Share of TCBY approvals captured by the top 3 SBA lenders.
TCBY's SBA lending pipeline peaked in 1996 (30 approvals). The last five fiscal years account for 0% of cumulative volume ($150K approved). Operator density is highest in Texas with 44 SBA financed locations. Average funded ticket sits at $153K, with the median at $114K. Lender mix is moderately spread: the top three SBA lenders account for 20.2% of approvals. Borrowers have leverage to shop multiple credit boxes.
Payment Estimator
Estimated Monthly Payment
$1,397
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
TCBY, unit breakdown
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Page Review
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