Full-Service Restaurants acquisitions in Arizona: SBA loan data
Since FY2018, SBA lenders have approved 54 7(a) loans to buy an existing business classified as Full-Service Restaurants in Arizona, totaling $51.7M. The median loan was $685,850. That is 4.9% of the 1,095 acquisition loans in Arizona.
- Loans, FY2018-FY2026
- 54
- Median loan
- $685,850 (middle half $311,000 to $1,410,000)
- Top lender
- St. Louis Bank (7%, 4 loans)
- FY2026 loans (latest complete year)
- 8
SBA lenders approved 54 7(a) loans to buy a business classified as Full-Service Restaurants in Arizona from FY2018-FY2026, with a median of $685,850 and a middle half of $311,000 to $1,410,000. St. Louis Bank made 7% of them. FY2026 had 8 loans.
The purchase agreement decides what you bought, not the loan approval.
Request Engagement AssessmentAlex Lubyansky leads every engagement.
How Full-Service Restaurants in Arizona compares
| Measure | Full-Service Restaurants in... | Arizona, all industries | Full-Service Restaurants, nationwide | All acquisitions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median loan | $685,850 | $770,000 | $411,700 | $645,250 |
| Middle half of loans | $311,000 to $1,410,000 | $369,550 to $1,523,600 | $225,000 to $819,000 | $283,000 to $1,465,000 |
| Average initial rate | 8.64% | 8.06% | 8.08% | 7.76% |
| Median term | 10 years | 10 years | 10 years | 10 years |
| Charge-off rate (seasoned loans) | n/a | 3.5% | 5.9% | 3.5% |
| Loans in sample | 54 | 1,095 | 2,797 | 48,902 |
The median for loans to buy restaurants in Arizona is $685,850, slightly below the $770,000 median for all Arizona acquisitions, well above the $411,700 median for Full-Service Restaurants acquisitions nationwide and slightly above the $645,250 median for all SBA-financed acquisitions nationally.
The middle half runs $311,000 to $1,410,000, against $283,000 to $1,465,000 nationally; the median term is 10 years, the same as the national median; the average initial rate is 8.64%, above the 7.76% national average.
Too few of these loans are old enough to measure a charge-off rate; the national rate for seasoned acquisition loans is 3.5%.
Loan size distribution
| Loan size | Full-Service Restaurants in... | All acquisitions |
|---|---|---|
| Under $350K | 28% | 30% |
| $350K to under $1M | 37% | 33% |
| $1M to under $2M | 22% | 19% |
| $2M and over | 13% | 17% |
Most loans to buy restaurants in Arizona (65%) were under $1M, and the largest single band is $350K to under $1M at 37%, against 33% of all acquisition loans.
Bands are fixed dollar ranges chosen for comparison. They are not SBA program limits.
Lender concentration
St. Louis Bank made 7% of loans to buy restaurants in Arizona, and the top three lenders together made 20%. 6 of the 33 lenders involved made three or more. Repeat experience is spread across many banks. That is a rough guide to how many banks have seen this kind of deal before.
Recent activity
In FY2025 and FY2026 combined, 11 loans to buy restaurants in Arizona were approved. That is 31% fewer than the 16 approved in FY2023 and FY2024. The median was $535,000, below the $685,850 median across all years.
Full-Service Restaurants acquisition loans in Arizona by year
| Fiscal year | Loans | Total approved | Median loan | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2018 | 5 | $4.9M | $1,237,900 | |
| FY2019 | 4 | $1.8M | $408,000 | |
| FY2020 | 2 | $480K | $240,000 | |
| FY2021 | 7 | $9M | $1,077,500 | |
| FY2022 | 9 | $16.1M | $1,791,400 | |
| FY2023 | 9 | $7.5M | $676,700 | |
| FY2024 | 7 | $3.7M | $350,000 | |
| FY2025 | 3 | $1.5M | $500,000 | |
| FY2026 | 8 | $6.8M | $664,100 |
How often do these acquisition loans fail?
Fewer than 20 Full-Service Restaurants in Arizona acquisition loans are old enough to measure losses reliably, so no charge-off rate is shown. The benchmark across all SBA acquisition loans in the FY2018 to FY2021 cohort is 3.5% by count. Non-acquisition 7(a) loans (every other stated purpose) approved FY2018 to FY2021 charged off at 6.2%.
"Charged off" is the SBA's final loss action on a defaulted loan after collection efforts. It lags default by a year or more, which is why only older cohorts are measured. It is not the same as a delinquency rate, and loans still outstanding can still fail. See charge-off in the glossary.
The purchase agreement decides what you bought, not the loan approval.
Request Engagement AssessmentAll 50 states. Free consultation.
Top lenders
| # | Lender | Loans | Share | Dollars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | St. Louis Bank | 4 | 7.4% | $9M | |
| 2 | Stearns Bank National Association | 4 | 7.4% | $2.6M | |
| 3 | PNC Bank, National Association | 3 | 5.6% | $4.1M | |
| 4 | VelocitySBA, LLC | 3 | 5.6% | $3.4M | |
| 5 | CDC Small Business Finance Corp. | 3 | 5.6% | $880K |
Top franchise brands
No franchise brands recorded in this combination.
The purchase agreement decides what you bought, not the loan approval.
Request Engagement AssessmentAlex Lubyansky leads every engagement.
Questions buyers ask
How much do SBA loans for Full-Service Restaurants acquisitions in Arizona run?
The median SBA 7(a) loan was $685,850 across 54 loans (FY2018 to FY2026), with the middle half between $311,000 and $1,410,000. The loan excludes the buyer's equity and any seller note and may include working capital, so the price is usually higher than the loan.
Which banks finance Full-Service Restaurants acquisitions in Arizona?
St. Louis Bank (4), Stearns Bank National Association (4), PNC Bank, National Association (3), VelocitySBA, LLC (3), CDC Small Business Finance Corp. (3). Some lenders repeatedly finance this industry in this state; the counts above show which.
How often do Full-Service Restaurants acquisition loans fail in Arizona?
Fewer than 20 loans in this combination are old enough to measure losses reliably, so no rate is shown. The national benchmark for all SBA acquisition loans is 3.5% (FY2018 to FY2021 cohort).
Are franchised businesses part of Full-Service Restaurants acquisitions in Arizona?
6 of the 54 loans (11%) involved a franchise brand.
How much do you need down for an SBA loan to buy a restaurant in Arizona?
The SBA requires the buyer to make an equity injection, commonly 10% of total project cost, and a lender may ask for more. The SBA file does not record injections, so the figures here are the financed portion: the median for loans to buy restaurants in Arizona was $685,850, and the middle half ran $311,000 to $1,410,000.
How long does an SBA acquisition loan take?
For a change-of-ownership 7(a) loan, 45 to 90 days from application to close is typical. It varies by lender and by how quickly third-party reports, such as the business valuation and appraisal, come back. The SBA file records approval dates, not application dates, so this site cannot measure it. Lenders approved 11 loans to buy restaurants in Arizona in FY2025 and FY2026.
Which banks make SBA loans for a restaurant in Arizona?
By loan count, FY2018 to FY2026: St. Louis Bank (4), Stearns Bank National Association (4), PNC Bank, National Association (3), VelocitySBA, LLC (3), CDC Small Business Finance Corp. (3). St. Louis Bank made 7% of loans to buy restaurants in Arizona. Counts show past approvals only and do not predict whether a lender will approve a particular deal.
That draft favors the seller. We review it for the buyer, line by line.
Submit Transaction DetailsAlex Lubyansky leads every engagement.
Advertise on this site: lenders, brokers, valuation and insurance firms. See options
Related
- All Arizona acquisitions
- Financing one? How to get an SBA loan to buy a restaurant
- Full-Service Restaurants nationally
- Full-Service Restaurants in California
- Full-Service Restaurants in Texas
- Full-Service Restaurants in Florida
- Full-Service Restaurants in Washington
- Full-Service Restaurants in Georgia
- Full-Service Restaurants in Illinois
- Full-Service Restaurants in Pennsylvania
- Full-Service Restaurants in Michigan
- General Automotive Repair in Arizona
- Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly in Arizona
- Limited-Service Restaurants in Arizona
- Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Contractors in Arizona
- Landscaping Services in Arizona
- Hotels and Motels in Arizona
- All Other Specialty Trade Contractors in Arizona
- Offices of Certified Public Accountants in Arizona
Small samples move a lot: each loan in this combination is 2% of the count. Industry is the NAICS code the lender recorded. See the methodology.
Cite this data
SBA Acquisition Data, "Full-Service Restaurants in Arizona: SBA acquisition loan data", https://sbaacquisitiondata.com/state/az/full-service-restaurants-722511 (data as of September 30, 2026). Source: U.S. Small Business Administration 7(a) loan file, data.sba.gov. Aggregated by SBA Acquisition Data.
The figures on this page are also published as JSON at https://sbaacquisitiondata.com/data/state/az/full-service-restaurants-722511.json.