The Hot Spot
The total investment to open a The Hot Spot franchise ranges from $80,100 to $154,700. The initial franchise fee is $37,500. Ongoing royalties are 5% plus a 1% advertising fee.
What is the The Hot Spot franchise?
The Hot Spot is a studio where customers paint pottery and take part in art activities. The 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document estimates a total initial investment of $80,100 to $154,700, including an initial franchise fee of $37,500.
Ongoing fees are a royalty of 5 percent of sales and an advertising or brand fund fee of 1 percent. The franchise agreement lasts 5 years.
The Hot Spot was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Sparks, NV.
Loan Activity Score
49/100
SBA Default Rate
0.0%
Active Lenders
1
According to its Franchise Disclosure Document or public business records, The Hot Spot has 1 location, all owned by franchisees. Public SBA loan records show 1 lender made 1 loan to franchisees of The Hot Spot. PeerSense calculates The Hot Spot's score as 49 out of 100, using public SBA loan performance and recent lending activity. Cost figures are based on the 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document. To correct a figure, email the current FDD and the differing item numbers to info@peersense.com, and this page will be updated.
Franchising since 1996 · 1 location
$80,100 to $154,700
$37,500
1
1 franchised
Proprietary PeerSense metric
FairDistinct lenders in public SBA records for The Hot Spot
1
Total SBA loans
$143K
Average loan size
Source: public SBA 7(a) and 504 loan records through December 31, 2025
Referral fee at closing
SBA Lending Activity for The Hot Spot
Loan Activity Score Breakdown
New or niche (1 to 2 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
0.0%
vs 9.5% peer avg
SBA Loans
1
Total Volume
$0.1M
Active Lenders
1
States
1
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 The Hot Spot based on SBA lending data
SBA Default Rate
0.0%
9.5% below peer avg
SBA Loan Volume
1 loans
Across 1 lender
Lender Diversity
1 lender
Avg 1.0 loans per lender
Investment Tier
Mid range investment
$80,100 to $154,700 total
The Hot Spot: 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
2025
4 approvals. The best year on record for The Hot Spot.
Top SBA State
California
1 SBA financed The Hot Spot locations, the densest operator footprint.
Average Loan Size
$145K
Median $145K. Use as a sizing anchor when modeling your own The Hot Spot unit.
Lender Concentration
100%
Concentrated
Share of The Hot Spot approvals captured by the top 3 SBA lenders.
The Hot Spot's SBA lending pipeline peaked in 2025 (4 approvals). The last five fiscal years account for 400% of cumulative volume ($579K approved). Operator density is highest in California with 1 SBA financed locations. Average funded ticket sits at $145K, with the median at $145K. Lender mix is concentrated: the top three SBA lenders account for 100% of approvals. Credit decisions concentrate with a small group of incumbents.
Payment Estimator
Estimated Monthly Payment
$829
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
The Hot Spot, 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; 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