# SBA loans to fast-food, pizza and counter-service restaurants in North Carolina **Short answer:** SBA's loan file shows 278 loans to fast-food, pizza and counter-service restaurants in North Carolina since October 2019. 55.8% went to startups, against 39.5% nationally. 12.9% went through SBA Express, against 23.3% nationally. Canonical page: https://www.sbaexpress.loans/industries/limited-service-restaurants/north-carolina/ Data as of: 2026-06-30 These are the 278 SBA 7(a) loans to [fast-food, pizza and counter-service restaurants](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/industries/limited-service-restaurants/) in [North Carolina](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/north-carolina-small-business-loans/) approved October 2019 to June 2026. Each figure is set against the national figure for the same industry and period. State is where the business is, not where the lender is based. The file lists loans SBA approved, so it shows what lenders have done and not what any lender will do for you. Every state page for this industry uses this same period, so the pages can be compared with each other. ## How North Carolina differs from the U.S. **What this means for you.** If yours is a new business, lenders in North Carolina funded startups more often here than lenders did nationally. ### Startups 55.8% of the loans in North Carolina went to startups, where the loan opens the business, against 39.5% nationally. Startups (the loan opens the business), share of loans, Oct 2019 to Jun 2026 - North Carolina: 55.8% - United States: 39.5% ### SBA Express 12.9% of the loans in North Carolina went through SBA Express, against 23.3% nationally. SBA Express, share of loans, Oct 2019 to Jun 2026 - North Carolina: 12.9% - United States: 23.3% ### Loan size The median loan was $449,400 in North Carolina, 37% above the national median of $329,000. The middle half of loans in North Carolina ran from $212,000 to $696,400. Nationally the middle half ran from $113,250 to $575,000. Median loan, Oct 2019 to Jun 2026 - North Carolina: $449,400 - United States: $329,000 We compared 9 measures with the national figure for the same period, and these are the 3 that differ clearly. One more difference is in the table. ## North Carolina next to the U.S. **North Carolina compared with all loans to fast-food, pizza and counter-service restaurants in the U.S., October 2019 to June 2026** | Measure | North Carolina | United States | Reading | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Industry's share of all SBA loans | 3.6% | 3.3% | No clear gap | | Median loan | $449,400 | $329,000 | Clearly higher | | Middle half of loans | $212,000 to $696,400 | $113,250 to $575,000 | – | | Startups (the loan opens the business) | 55.8% | 39.5% | Clearly higher | | In business 2 years or less | 11.9% | 15.4% | No clear gap | | In business more than 2 years | 19.4% | 30.3% | Clearly lower | | Change of ownership | 12.9% | 14.0% | No clear gap | | SBA Express | 12.9% | 23.3% | Clearly lower | | Lines of credit | 10.8% | 13.6% | No clear gap | | Median term | 10 years | 10 years | – | | Median spread over Prime at approval | 2.5 points over Prime | 2.5 points over Prime | – | Clearly higher and clearly lower mark a gap large enough to matter and unlikely to be chance for this many loans. Spread over Prime is the rate at approval minus Prime that day, so it is not today's rate. Rows with a dash are shown for reference. ## Who lends in North Carolina The 5 lenders below made 100 of the 278 loans approved October 2019 to June 2026, or 36.0%. A lender is listed when it has 5 or more of them, five at most. **Top lenders in North Carolina** | Lender | Loans | Share here | U.S. share | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [The Huntington National Bank](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/sba-express-lenders/the-huntington-national-bank/) | 50 | 18.0% | 13.7% | | [Live Oak Banking Company](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/sba-express-lenders/live-oak-banking-company/) | 22 | 7.9% | 3.5% | | [United Community Bank](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/sba-express-lenders/united-community-bank/) | 11 | 4.0% | Not in top 5 | | [The Fidelity Bank](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/sba-express-lenders/the-fidelity-bank/) | 9 | 3.2% | Not in top 5 | | [North State Bank](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/sba-express-lenders/north-state-bank/) | 8 | 2.9% | Not in top 5 | Share here is the lender's share of the loans in this state. U.S. share is its share of all loans to this industry nationally. Not in top 5 means it is not one of the five lenders with the most loans to the industry. ## Fast-food, pizza and counter-service restaurants in other states Other states where these loans differ clearly from the national pattern, most loans first. **Fast-food, pizza and counter-service restaurants by state** | State | Loans since October 2019 | | --- | --- | | [California](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/industries/limited-service-restaurants/california/) | 1,330 | | [Texas](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/industries/limited-service-restaurants/texas/) | 943 | | [Florida](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/industries/limited-service-restaurants/florida/) | 719 | | [Ohio](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/industries/limited-service-restaurants/ohio/) | 559 | | [New York](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/industries/limited-service-restaurants/new-york/) | 549 | | [Georgia](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/industries/limited-service-restaurants/georgia/) | 497 | | [Pennsylvania](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/industries/limited-service-restaurants/pennsylvania/) | 424 | | [Washington](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/industries/limited-service-restaurants/washington/) | 395 | ## More industries in North Carolina Other industries in North Carolina with a clear difference from the national pattern, most loans first. **Other industries in North Carolina** | Industry | Loans since October 2019 | | --- | --- | | [Sit-down restaurants](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/industries/full-service-restaurants/north-carolina/) | 364 | | [Hotels and motels](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/industries/hotels-motels/north-carolina/) | 251 | | [Home remodeling contractors](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/industries/residential-remodelers/north-carolina/) | 159 | | [Paving, fencing, pool and other specialty contractors](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/industries/all-other-specialty-trade-contractors/north-carolina/) | 128 | | [Child care centers and preschools](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/industries/child-care-services/north-carolina/) | 125 | | [Auto repair shops](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/industries/general-automotive-repair/north-carolina/) | 121 | | [Plumbing and HVAC companies](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/industries/plumbing-heating-air-conditioning-contractors/north-carolina/) | 111 | | [Day spas, medical spas, massage, tattoo and tanning studios](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/industries/other-personal-care-services/north-carolina/) | 100 | How to read this Counts come from SBA's 7(a) loan-level data release, as of June 30, 2026. The file lists loans SBA approved. It does not list declined applications, so it cannot show approval odds. We do not publish any figure built on fewer than 5 loans. Industry is the NAICS code recorded on each loan. Location is the borrower's address in the file. Loans are those approved October 1, 2019 to June 30, 2026. SBA's fiscal year runs October 1 to September 30. Each figure is set against the national figure for the same period. A gap is called clear when it is large enough to matter and unlikely to be chance for this many loans. A comparison with no clear gap in the loans is not published. Express counts SBA Express and Export Express loans. Lines of credit are loans SBA's file flags as revolving. [How we build these pages](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/method/). ## Sources - [SBA 7(a) and 504 FOIA loan-level data, as of June 30, 2026](https://data.sba.gov/dataset/7a-504-foia)