Funding for Restaurant Franchisees

You found the location. Now the franchisor wants the money.

Franchise ownership runs on deadlines that don't wait for a bank. The franchisor gives you a window to sign the franchise agreement and pay the initial fee. The landlord wants the lease executed. The approved GC has a start date, and pushing it costs you weeks of rent on a space that isn't earning yet. Meanwhile the equipment package — hood, walk-in, line, POS — has to be ordered early enough to hit your target opening day.

If you already run one unit, the problem is different but just as real: you have a proven, cash-flowing store, the franchisor has approved you for a second, and you need working capital to bridge the gap between signing the second agreement and the day that store turns profitable. A traditional lender wants two years of tax returns on a store that doesn't exist yet. That's not how franchise growth works.

We fund restaurant franchisees against the deposits your business actually generates — not a business plan, not projections, not your personal FICO. If you're opening your first unit and don't have restaurant revenue yet, we look at what you do have. If you're expanding, your existing store's bank statements do the talking.

How it works

• 1. Apply and send statements. Fill out the short application and send your last few months of business bank statements. For an existing unit, that's the store's account. Checking eligibility is a soft pull — it does not touch your credit score.
• 2. Get a real number. We look at deposits and cash flow, not a credit report. FICO 500+ is fine. No collateral required for working capital. You'll see the amount and terms before you commit to anything.
• 3. Sign and get funded. Statements in and signed before early afternoon ET on a weekday and it can fund the same day. Friday afternoon deals fund Monday.

Real numbers, real franchisees

A single-unit franchisee of a national fast-casual burrito brand came to us approved by the franchisor for a second location. Their existing store was doing about $95,000 a month in deposits. We funded $180,000 to cover the second unit's franchise fee, GC mobilization, and the first equipment draw. Statements landed Tuesday morning; funds hit Wednesday. The second store opened on the franchisor's original timeline instead of six months late.

Another operator opening their first franchised location — a regional chicken concept — needed $60,000 for the equipment package after the SBA process stalled and the vendor's price lock was about to expire. We used deposits from their existing catering business to approve it, and the hood and walk-in order went in the same week.

Who qualifies: restaurants and food businesses (or the franchisee's existing operating business) with steady bank deposits. FICO 500 and up. Growth funding runs $25K–$5M; emergency and smaller-unit needs run $10K–$500K. No collateral for working capital, no tax returns required to check, and a soft pull only when you apply.

Straight answers

Can you fund my first franchise if I don't have restaurant revenue yet?

Often yes. We underwrite the deposits you do have — an existing business, catering, another operating company. If you have no business banking history at all, we'll tell you straight what we can and can't do rather than string you along.

Will checking hurt my credit?

No. Checking eligibility is a soft pull. It has no effect on your credit score. A score of 500+ is workable.

How fast can I actually get the money?

If your signed agreement and bank statements are in before early afternoon ET on a weekday, funding can happen the same day. If that lands on a Friday afternoon, expect Monday.

Do I need collateral or a big down payment?

No collateral is required for working capital. We're funding against cash flow, not pledging your equipment or home.

Can I use this for the second or third unit?

Yes — that's one of the most common uses. Your existing store's bank statements are the strongest file we can work with, and we can fund the fee, buildout, equipment, and bridge working capital for the new unit.

What can the funds be used for?

Franchise fee, buildout and GC deposits, the equipment package, opening inventory, pre-opening payroll, and working capital to carry a new unit until it ramps. It's your capital to deploy across the opening.

Ready to open the next one?

Send your application and a few months of statements. You'll get a real number with no hit to your credit, and if the timing lines up, funding in as little as 24 hours — fast enough to hit the franchisor's deadline instead of missing it.