If your restaurant has never carried a merchant cash advance, you are the strongest kind of file an underwriter can see. Here is why that earns you better terms, larger amounts, and a faster decision.
Apply Now →First-position funding is the advance you take when your restaurant has no other advance on the books. You are position one, the only claim against your future deposits, and that single fact makes you the lowest-risk file an underwriter reviews all day. With nothing ahead of us, there is no stacking to price around, no competing daily debit to work behind, and no reason to shrink the offer. That is why a clean-file restaurant doing $20,000 or more a month typically sees the highest approval amount, the most workable payment structure, and one of the fastest decisions Prime Restaurant Capital issues. Prime funds operating restaurants from $25,000 to $5,000,000, and if you have never taken a position before, this page explains exactly why now is the moment your file is worth the most.
Position refers to the order in which advances get repaid from your restaurant's daily or weekly deposits. A first-position advance is the first (and, for a clean file, the only) claim on that revenue. When a lender is in first position, their repayment comes off the top before any other funder, which means their risk of not being paid is the lowest possible.
Everything downstream from first position is called stacking: a second, third, or fourth advance layered on top of the first. Each new layer takes another cut of the same deposits, so every funder after position one is competing for a smaller and smaller slice of the same sales. That is the risk underwriters price for on a stacked file. On your file, that risk does not exist. You are not competing with anyone for your own revenue, and the offer reflects it.
In plain terms: a first-position restaurant is not asking a lender to fund behind someone else. It is asking a lender to be the only one at the table. That is the strongest position you will ever negotiate from.
Underwriting is risk pricing. When Prime reviews an application, the biggest variable is the likelihood of full repayment from your deposits. A first-position file removes the single largest source of doubt, so three things move in your favor at once:
Approval here leans on your business bank deposits and revenue far more than on your credit score, and all credit is considered. A clean position is worth more to an underwriter than a high FICO on a stacked file.
Because your file is clean, the review is straightforward. Prime is confirming that your deposits can comfortably carry a single first-position payment. The core items:
| What we review | What underwriters want to see | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly bank deposits | $20,000+ per month in revenue | Sets the amount your restaurant can support |
| Deposit consistency | Regular deposits across recent months | Shows steady sales, not one strong outlier month |
| Negative days / overdrafts | Few and explainable | Signals the account can absorb a scheduled payment |
| Time operating | An established, operating restaurant | A track record is easier to underwrite than a startup |
| Existing advances | None (first position) | The clean-file advantage that drives your terms |
| Credit | All credit considered | A factor, not the deciding one; deposits lead |
You do not need perfect credit. You need consistent restaurant revenue and a clean position. That combination is exactly what earns first-position pricing.
First-position capital is working capital you deploy on your own terms. Common uses among the restaurants Prime funds:
Amounts run from $25,000 to $5,000,000. Because you are in first position, the amount you qualify for is driven by your deposits rather than discounted for risk sitting ahead of you.
The process is built to be fast and light, especially for a clean file:
There are no phone-tag requirements to start. The application does the work. Prime does not use the word guaranteed, and no responsible funder should, but a clean first-position restaurant with steady $20K+ deposits is about as strong as an application gets.
Your first position is a one-time asset. The moment you take an advance, your next application is a second-position file, and every funder after you prices for the risk of sitting behind someone else. The best rates and the highest amounts you will ever be offered are the ones available before that first advance exists.
That is not a reason to borrow before you need to. It is a reason, when you do need capital, to secure it in first position rather than piecing it together later under worse terms. If your restaurant needs working capital, equipment, or room to expand and you have never taken a position, this is the strongest your file will be. Apply while it is clean and let the terms reflect it.
It means your advance is the first and only claim on your restaurant's future deposits. No other funder is being repaid ahead of Prime. Because there is nothing stacked in front of us, your file carries the lowest risk, which is why first-position restaurants typically see the best rates, the highest amounts, and one of the fastest decisions.
It's the single strongest thing on your application. A clean, first-position file removes the biggest question underwriters have, which is whether other funders are already taking a share of your deposits. With no stacking to price around, Prime can approve toward the top of what your revenue supports and price you on your own sales rather than on the risk of sitting behind someone else.
Prime funds operating restaurants from $25,000 to $5,000,000. Your amount is driven mainly by your business bank deposits. Restaurants doing $20,000 or more per month can qualify, and because a first-position file isn't discounted for advances sitting ahead of it, clean-file owners often see the strongest offers their revenue can support.
No. Approval leans on your business bank deposits and revenue far more than on your credit score, and all credit is considered. A clean first position with consistent deposits is worth more to an underwriter than a high credit score on a stacked file. Credit is a factor, not the deciding one.
Most decisions come back in roughly 4 to 24 hours. First-position files often decision at the fast end of that window because there's less to verify, no other funders' balances to confirm and no stacking to reconcile. Once you accept an offer, funding is fast, frequently the same or next business day.
A short application with your basic business details and your most recent business bank statements. The statements let underwriting read your real deposit picture, which is what drives your offer. There's no phone requirement to get started, and you review the full offer, amount, payment and terms, before you agree to anything.
$25K–$5M · funded in 24 hours · 500+ credit OK. A soft credit pull that will not affect your score.
START MY 1-MINUTE APPLICATION →No obligation · takes about a minute