Quick Service Restaurant Feasibility Study in the Trenton-Princeton, NJ Metro Area

Top class, one county

In Trenton-Princeton, quick service takes first place among the 39 asset classes, with a quotient of 1.61x that puts them far above their national share. The area is 85 of 779 nationally, and Mercer County accounts for all 40 loans. Together they total $17.3 million, approved across FY2017 through FY2026.

A wide range of tickets

A midpoint of $289,250 is 0.93x the national midpoint, close to parity, but the usual loan lies between $50,000 and $500,000, so the record covers modest conversions and heavy builds alike. Franchises account for 20.0% of loans, which makes this an independent-leaning quick-service market. Program counts do not appear.

Holder and years

TD Bank, National Association is listed on 6 loans worth $215,000, a very small average, according to SBA's present-holder field. Only two years can be printed: FY2021 with 7 loans and $4.4 million, and FY2024 with 6 and $2.2 million. All other years stay hidden. Of the years that do print, FY2021 is the larger in dollars even though the loan counts are close. No cancellation rate is given, because under 30 loans make up the cohort, and no charge-off rate either; neither blank is a zero.

What the shape suggests

Quick service takes first place among the 39 classes here, with a 1.61x quotient, and typical loans start at $50,000. A first-ranked class means a feasibility study has to prove a site on its own merits. The page names no borrower and draws no conclusion about who the borrowers are. Of the years that print, FY2021 carried 7 loans for $4.4 million and FY2024 carried 6 for $2.2 million, so the printed record is thin and a lender should read it as context only.

Studying a Mercer County quick-service site

A study should test traffic and visibility, because quick-service sales follow convenience, along with the competing brands on the same corridors and the staffing the site needs. It should compare a franchisor's disclosed unit sales with local wage and food costs and test build-out against a loan near the $289,250 midpoint. An owner-operator model shapes labor cost. Payments must be covered when sales trail the plan, and the appraisal should separate the operating business from any leasehold or real estate value.