SBA loans for catering businesses
Source: U.S. Small Business Administration, 7(a) & 504 FOIA loan data [source] · File as of September 30, 2026 · Loans approved in federal fiscal years 2024–2026 (Oct 2023 – Sept 2026) · Imported November 4, 2026
Caterers (NAICS 722320)
555loans approved
$141,000median loan
$50K–$440Kmiddle half of loans
$258.3Mtotal approved
10%median initial rate
10 yrsmedian term
Borrowers reported 7,046 jobs created or retained.
1.4% of these loans went to franchise locations.
Loan sizes
States with the most loans
| State | Loans | Median |
|---|---|---|
| California | 78 | $150,000 |
| New York | 46 | $184,500 |
| Florida | 39 | $150,000 |
| Ohio | 38 | $58,500 |
| Texas | 29 | $350,000 |
| New Jersey | 27 | $50,000 |
| Washington | 25 | $50,000 |
| Illinois | 21 | $400,000 |
| Pennsylvania | 18 | $124,500 |
| Massachusetts | 15 | $50,000 |
Most active lenders
| Lender | Loans | Median | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Huntington National Bank | 48 | $68,500 | $8.9M |
| U.S. Bank, National Association | 44 | $40,500 | $4.9M |
| TD Bank, National Association | 43 | $30,000 | $2.1M |
| Newtek Bank, National Association | 34 | $162,500 | $12.1M |
| Manufacturers and Traders Trust Company | 26 | $37,500 | $1.8M |
| Readycap Lending, LLC | 16 | $191,750 | $7.0M |
| Northeast Bank | 15 | $100,000 | $2.8M |
| JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association | 14 | $155,000 | $3.4M |
| Lendistry Sblc, LLC | 13 | $102,700 | $2.2M |
| Harvest Small Business Finance, LLC | 13 | $690,000 | $12.5M |
Planning one? Read how to start a catering business and model payments with the loan calculator.
What this data does — and doesn't — tell you
- Approvals, not applications. These are loans SBA approved. The data has no denials, so it cannot tell you your odds of approval.
- Loan size is not startup cost. 7(a) loans also pay for buying existing businesses, real estate, equipment, refinancing and working capital.
- Gross approval amount. Figures are the full approved loan, including the part SBA does not guarantee. Some approved loans are later reduced or never fully disbursed.
- Industry codes are assigned at approval (NAICS) and can be imprecise — a mobile detailer may be coded as a car wash, for example.
- Medians beat averages here: a few very large loans pull averages up. We show the median and the middle half (25th–75th percentile).
- No default rates. Most recent loans are still being repaid, so charge-off rates for these years would be misleading. We don't show them.
- Cancelled loans are excluded, and any group with fewer than 10 loans is hidden. We never publish borrower names.
- Lender counts aren't a quality rating. Big national lenders make many small loans; local lenders may know your market better. Talk to several, or use SBA Lender Match.