Meal prep businesses combine elements of restaurant operations, food manufacturing, and direct-to-consumer delivery. Operations focus on weekly batch production, customizable meal plans, refrigerated packaging, and recurring subscription customer relationships. Capital needs span commercial kitchen equipment, packaging equipment optimized for grab-and-go formats, refrigerated delivery infrastructure, and marketing investment for customer acquisition.
Prime Restaurant Capital funds meal prep operations from local businesses serving 100-500 weekly customers to regional meal prep services with multiple production locations. Funding ranges from $25K (production equipment) to $500K (multi-location expansion or marketing acceleration).
Meal Prep Capital Use Cases
Production Kitchen Equipment
Meal prep production requires equipment optimized for batch production: tilting kettles for large-batch cooking ($8K-$30K), combi ovens for efficient roasting and steaming ($15K-$45K), blast chillers for rapid cooling ($10K-$40K), commercial vacuum sealers for portion packaging, and high-volume refrigeration.
Packaging Equipment and Materials
Meal prep packaging is significant operational cost. Equipment includes labeling machines, sealers, portion control tools, and bulk packaging storage. Working capital often funds packaging material purchases at scale (containers, labels, branded packaging).
Refrigerated Delivery Infrastructure
Meal prep delivery requires refrigerated transport, insulated delivery bags, and sometimes refrigerated lockers for pickup operations. Vehicle financing covers delivery vehicles; equipment financing covers other delivery infrastructure.
Marketing and Customer Acquisition
Meal prep is a marketing-intensive business. Customer acquisition costs through digital marketing, influencer partnerships, and promotional campaigns typically run $30-$80 per customer. Working capital funds marketing investment to acquire new subscribers.
Meal Prep Business Funding Qualifications
- Operating meal prep business in the US — minimum 6 months
- Monthly revenue $15K+ (most meal prep operations we fund do $25K-$150K monthly)
- Active subscriber base with recurring orders
- Credit score 550+ accepted
