When the power drops, the clock on your inventory starts
You already know the math because you've lived it. The grid goes down, and within a few hours the walk-in cooler is climbing past 40°F. Your proteins, your dairy, your prepped line — all of it heads for the trash the moment the health code line gets crossed. And if the outage runs into service, you're turning cars away from the door and refunding reservations while your competitor two blocks over stays lit.
A backup generator is the thing standing between a bad afternoon and a five-figure loss. But a real commercial standby unit for a full-service kitchen — transfer switch, permits, licensed electrician, the gas or diesel hookup — isn't a weekend impulse buy. That's exactly why waiting until the storm is in the forecast is the worst time to shop for one. You need the generator funded and installed on a normal Tuesday, not the day the utility company sends the outage warning.
How the funding works
Three steps. No collateral on working capital, no putting the equipment up as security, no waiting weeks for a bank underwriter to lose your file.
- 1. Apply online in a few minutes. Basic business info plus your last 3 months of bank statements. Checking your offer is a soft pull — it does not touch your credit score.
- 2. We read your deposits, not your FICO. Approval is built on the money actually moving through your restaurant's account. FICO 500+ is fine. A rough personal credit year doesn't kill a strong sales business.
- 3. Funds hit your account — often in as little as 24 hours. You pay the electrician and the equipment supplier directly and get the unit installed on your schedule.
The honest speed rule: if your signed agreement and statements are in before early afternoon ET on a weekday, same-day funding is on the table. Send it Friday afternoon and you're looking at Monday. We won't promise you money on a Saturday that no bank actually moves — but we'll move the second the rails are open.
A real example
A 90-seat neighborhood grill needs a 48kW standby generator, automatic transfer switch, and licensed install — about $38,000 all in. Funded at $40,000 to cover permits and a small buffer, statements in Wednesday morning, money in the account Thursday. The unit paid for itself the first time a summer outage would have dumped a fully stocked walk-in.
Smaller emergency electrical
Not everyone needs a whole-building generator. A quick $9,000 for an emergency panel repair and a portable backup rig to protect the coolers is just as fundable — $10K–$500K is the range, and small, fast requests are our normal.
Who qualifies
Restaurants, bars, cafés, food trucks with a fixed account, catering kitchens. Roughly 4+ months in business with steady deposits. FICO 500+. No collateral required for working capital. Approved on cash flow, not credit history.
Straight answers
Will checking hurt my credit?
No. Seeing your offer is a soft pull. It does not affect your score, and you're under no obligation to take the money once you see the numbers.
My credit took a hit last year. Am I out?
Probably not. We approve on your bank deposits, not your credit score. FICO 500 and up is workable if the restaurant's sales are healthy.
Can I really get funded in 24 hours?
Often, yes. Statements and a signed agreement in before early afternoon ET on a weekday puts same-day or next-day on the table. Friday afternoon requests fund Monday — that's just how bank rails work, and we'd rather tell you the truth than a fairy tale.
Do I have to put the generator up as collateral?
No. Working capital funding requires no collateral. The equipment is yours; the money is yours to spend on the install, the permits, and the electrician.
What can I actually spend it on?
Whatever keeps the power on — the generator unit, the transfer switch, permit fees, the licensed electrician, panel and wiring repairs, or a portable backup setup for your coolers. It's your capital.
How much can I get?
$10,000 to $500,000 for equipment and emergency work like this. If you're funding a larger buildout or expansion, we go up to $5M on the growth side.
Get the generator funded before you need it
The outage doesn't check whether you're ready. Get the unit approved and installed now, while the sun's out and your walk-in is full. It takes a few minutes to see your offer, it's a soft pull, and you decide from there.
Get Your Restaurant Funded in 24 Hours
Operating restaurants doing $20K+/month qualify for $25K – $1,000,000. Apply in 5 minutes.
Start Your Application →Get funded in 24 hours
Approved on your revenue, not just your credit. Start your 1-minute application.
Why restaurants choose Prime
We are not a generic small-business lender. Prime underwrites restaurants only — and we fund the way you actually operate.
Restaurant-only underwriting
Every concept — full-service, fast-casual, bars, cafés, food trucks, catering, multi-unit. We read restaurant P&Ls, not generic templates.
Funded in 24 hours
Decision in as little as 4 hours, money wired in 24–48. Cover payroll, a broken walk-in, or a second-location window — now.
Approved on your revenue
500+ FICO accepted. We underwrite on your bank deposits and sales, so steady revenue qualifies even after a bank says no.
Ready to get funded?
Built only for restaurants. Approved on your deposits, not just your score. Funded in as little as 24 hours.
- ✓ 500+ credit
- ✓ 6+ months open
- ✓ $25K+/mo revenue
See how much your restaurant qualifies for
$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