SBA 504 Restaurant Feasibility Study in Maryland

Full-service restaurant loans in Maryland: size and franchising

The file for Maryland full-service restaurants under SBA 504 holds 26 loans from FY2017 to FY2026 and $29.5 million of gross dollars. From $465,000 to $1.5 million covers the middle half of the Maryland loans, around a median of $808,000. In comparison with full-service restaurants nationally under SBA 504, Maryland posts a ratio of 1.33x, so Maryland borrowers take larger full-service restaurants loans at the midpoint. No Maryland full-service restaurants loan is flagged as a franchise, so Maryland's share reads 0.00%.

Maryland full-service restaurants take rank 35 against other states under SBA 504, and 1 of 39 when set against Maryland's other classes. FY2024 was the Maryland high point, 7 loans and $10.1 million together, with FY2026 at 5 loans, $3.7 million. No other Maryland class borrows under 504 as often as full-service dining, and its median loan tops the national median.

SBA lists Business Finance Group, Inc. as the leading holder for Maryland full-service restaurants, with 13 loans worth $14.5 million. Next come Chesapeake Business Finance Corporation, which holds 7 loans valued at $7.7 million. Business Finance Group, Inc. stands first among full-service restaurants holders in Maryland; SBA's file covers 26 loans held now or before. Baltimore City holds the most Maryland loans among counties and Baltimore City, 6, followed by Baltimore at 4 and Prince Georges at 4. Lower on the list are Worcester 3, Frederick 2 and Kent 2.

Outcomes and data limits for Maryland

With 26 full-service restaurants loans in Maryland, the Maryland cancellation cohort is too small, and likewise Maryland charge-off counts stay unpublished. Neither gap should become a number. Conventional loans in Maryland stay outside this file.

What a Maryland restaurant study must show

Leading the state's classes for 504 lending is no guarantee for one room, so the study should set the proposed concept against the tables already filled near Baltimore City. Revenue comes from seats, turns and check size, and each should be backed by comparable rooms, not hope. Food and labor eat most of the margin, which makes wage and ingredient swings the first sensitivity test. Kitchen equipment and dining-room finish are the largest uses of funds behind a loan near $808,000. Liquor licensing can add revenue and cost. A second operator's ability to use the building decides what the collateral is worth.