Sound Familiar?
You Fill the Tables. The Account's Empty by Monday.
It's a Tuesday in the slow season. The dining room was half-full last night, the walk-in's making a noise it shouldn't, and payroll runs Friday whether the tables fill or not. Rent doesn't care that January is slow. So an MCA company calls offering cash by tomorrow — for 40% of your daily card sales, skimmed off the top of every busy night you've got left. Meanwhile the restaurant group across town just opened their third location, because they set up real capital before they needed it. None of that means your restaurant is failing — the regulars still come, the food's still good. It's a cash-timing business running on a 4% margin with no buffer for the month the tables don't fill.
If a slow month or a dead walk-in never put your restaurant one bad week from the edge — how much more would you have built by now?
Bobby’s Take
A restaurant that runs out of cash doesn't close because the food is bad. It closes because nobody planned for the slow months. A 4% margin doesn't mean you're a bad business — it means timing is everything, and the bank that wants two years of returns and a fat margin will never understand that. The lenders here fund on your revenue, with a fixed payment that leaves your busy nights yours — not an MCA taking a cut of every ticket. So picture the group you'd build if a slow season never put you one emergency from the edge — how many more locations are open?
Bobby Friel, Founder, Basecamp Funding · 20+ years in banking and finance
The Real Challenges
The Real Challenges Restaurants Face — and How Funding Solves Each One
| What it costs you | What solves it | Typical range | Speed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The slow season | Fixed costs don't stop when revenue dips. | Line of credit | $250K–$5M | Days |
| Kitchen equipment | A full kitchen, hood, or walk-in package runs six figures. | Equipment financing | $250K–$5M | 3–7 days |
| Renovation / new concept | A buildout or refresh ties up cash before it earns. | Working capital + equipment | $250K–$5M | Days–weeks |
| Second / third location | A new unit needs buildout, equipment, and ramp at once. | Revenue-based capital stack | $250K–$20M+ | 2–4 weeks |
| Franchise expansion | Franchise fees and mandated remodels across units. | Franchise financing | $250K–$5M | Days–weeks |
| Payroll & staffing | Holding your team through a soft stretch. | Working capital | $250K–$5M | 1–3 days |
| Emergency repairs & compliance | A walk-in dies, or the inspector orders a fix. | Working capital | $250K–$5M | 24–72 hrs |
Larger lines available when revenue, cash flow, and story qualify.
Restaurant coverage with same-day COIs across 29 states → InsuranceService365.com.
The Numbers That Matter
Why Restaurants Run Out of Cash, Not Customers
60%
Of restaurants fail in year one — usually cash flow, not the food.
National Restaurant Association
3–5%
Average restaurant profit margin — one bad month erases a quarter's profit.
Restaurant365 Industry Report
$150K–$400K
What a commercial kitchen equipment package runs.
FoodService Equipment Reports
Capital Stacking
One File. The Whole Next Location, Funded.
A second location is never just the lease. It's the buildout, the kitchen package, the staff you hire and train before a single ticket prints, and the months of operating cost while it ramps. A bank prices it all as one risk against a 4% margin and stalls. A marketplace structures each piece with the lender who underwrites it best — equipment financing for the kitchen, working capital for the buildout and ramp, a line for the opening months — then stacks them into the number the location actually needs.
Funded for the buildout, the kitchen, and the ramp — not capped off your thinnest month.
How a $900K second location gets funded
Equipment line caps short? The remainder stacks — for the full structure, see commercial financing.
Restaurants We've Funded
We've Funded Restaurants Like Yours
Representative scenarios — illustrative, anonymized figures, not specific client transactions.
Start Here
Find Your Structure in 60 Seconds
Move the slider for your estimated range, then answer three quick questions to lock it in. No documents to start. Soft-pull review — no score impact.
What Happens When You Start
Estimate Your Capital Range
Slide to your annual gross revenue. We size capital off your top line — not your credit score.
Estimated Capital Range
A conservative range based on 10-15% of annual revenue — many businesses qualify for more with strong receivables or assets behind them. Lenders return real term sheets once they see your file.
60 seconds · No obligation · Estimate only
What a restaurant owner hears every week
“A restaurant that runs out of cash doesn't close because the food is bad. It closes because nobody planned for the slow months.”
Bobby Friel · Founder, Basecamp Funding
Why Us
Why Restaurants Fund With Us Instead of Their Bank
The Real Cost
Where Could This Restaurant Be Right Now?
The covers you're not turning never show up on a term sheet — but every week the doors stay shut, the cost compounds. If thin margins and a slow season stopped putting you one emergency from the edge — where would this restaurant be a year from now?
Structure Your Capital Plan →Tax Strategy
Section 179 + 100% Bonus Depreciation on Your Kitchen
If last year was strong and you’re about to write a check to the IRS — stop. Acquire qualifying equipment with as little as 10% down, finance the rest, and write off the full purchase price in year one. Section 179 covers it up to the annual cap; 100% bonus depreciation — made permanent in 2025, with no cap and no income limit — carries the rest.
At the top bracket, that first-year deduction can return meaningful tax savings — and for an established business with strong cash flow, it’s the difference between writing a check to the IRS and putting the same money into your own equipment. Your CPA models the exact numbers for your bracket and structure.
Worked scenario · top bracket · illustrative
You financed the machine and put down a fraction of its price — but you deduct the full price in year one. The write-off is bigger than your down payment, and the equipment keeps working the whole time.
Scales with your numbers
Illustrative only. Actual savings depend on your tax bracket, entity type, state conformity, and CPA guidance. Section 179 and bonus depreciation are elections your CPA makes for your situation; above the Section 179 cap, 100% bonus depreciation carries the balance.
Terms reflect credit, revenue, time in business, and each lender. Every file is unique — see what the desk structures for yours in the 60-second qualifier.
Bobby’s Take
“If you're paying cash for a kitchen package, run the Section 179 numbers first. Finance it, deduct it, and keep your cash for the slow months.”
Bobby Friel · Founder · 20+ years in banking and finance
Avoid These
5 Funding Mistakes That Cost Restaurants the Most
A merchant cash advance skims a cut of every day's card sales and is the most expensive money in the business. A line or term loan funds just as fast at a fraction of the cost — and leaves your busy nights yours.
A line costs nothing until you draw it. Set it up while summer's busy and your numbers are strong, so January is covered before it arrives — not negotiated from a position of weakness.
Commingled accounts slow underwriting and cloud the restaurant's true cash flow. A clean business operating account speeds every approval.
A lease builds no equity and gives no Section 179 deduction. Finance the kitchen, own the assets, and write them off.
The walk-in you didn't replace, the location you didn't open, the staff you lost in a slow stretch — those cost more than the financing would have. Capital in place is insurance against the bad month.
Put It to Work
Use Your Capital For
01Cover the slow seasonSee howLess“What does one long January do to a 4% margin with no buffer?”
A line that costs nothing until you draw it.
Structure this02Buy kitchen equipmentSee howLess“What's a dying walk-in or an outdated line costing you in service and waste?”
Equipment financing, the equipment as collateral, Section 179.
Structure this03Open a second locationSee howLess“What's the next location you'd open if the whole buildout were funded together?”
A revenue-based capital stack.
Structure this04Renovate or refreshSee howLess“What would a refreshed dining room do for covers and reviews?”
Working capital plus equipment.
Structure this05Make payroll through a dipSee howLess“What happens to your team when a soft month meets a Friday payroll?”
Working capital on a fixed schedule, not a daily skim.
Structure this06Expand a franchiseSee howLess“What units could you open if the franchise fees and remodels were funded?”
Franchise financing.
Structure this07Pay off an MCASee howLess“What would your daily cash look like if the MCA cut were gone?”
Consolidate into a fixed payment; rate-review later — get funded now, optimize later.
Structure this08Stock inventory & food costsSee howLess“What does a big catering month or a price spike do to your cash?”
Working capital for the buy.
Structure this09Fix a compliance issueSee howLess“What does a health-department order cost you if you can't fund it same week?”
Emergency working capital.
Structure this10Acquire another restaurantSee howLess“What spot or concept would you buy if capital weren't months away?”
Revenue-based acquisition financing.
Structure this11Add technology & deliverySee howLess“What's an outdated POS or no delivery integration costing you in tickets?”
Equipment or working capital for the upgrade.
Structure this12Market a reopening or new conceptSee howLess“What's the demand you're not capturing for lack of marketing capital?”
Working capital for the push.
Structure thisFunding by the Size of the Need
Funded at Every Stage
One application, multiple lenders — and a file read on monthly revenue funds in days, whether the need is $250K or $20M+.
How It Works
From Qualifier to Funded in Five Steps
No paperwork avalanche. No bank lobby. No guessing.
Qualify
A few questions about the business, right here. No documents to start.
Application
A soft credit pull and a quick document review to pre-underwrite the file.
Matched to the Right Lenders
The specialist lenders who fund your business - the right lender on each piece.
One Advisor, Real Term Sheets
Your advisor brings back real term sheets, not estimates, and walks the structure.
Structured & Funded
Accept the structure that fits, sign digitally - funded in days, not months.
For the application, have ready
Under two years in business, or the returns show a loss? We can structure on bank statements alone.
Full Transparency
What Kills Your Qualification — and What Doesn't
Most lenders won't tell you this up front. We will.
By Concept
Financing by Concept
Every concept, from food truck to restaurant group — click yours for tailored options.
Whatever you run — full service, fast casual, a bar, a food truck, a ghost kitchen — the lenders here fund it on revenue, with a fixed payment that never touches your daily sales.
Recommended Products
The Products Restaurants Fund With
Matched to how a thin-margin, seasonal business actually runs — and stacked into the full number when one isn't enough.
Working Capital
Slow-season bridges, payroll, inventory, repairs — repaid on a fixed schedule.
Equipment Financing
Ovens, walk-ins, hood systems, POS; the equipment secures the loan, Section 179 year one.
Business Line of Credit
A standing line for seasonality and emergencies; draw when you need it.
Business Acquisition
Buy a restaurant or open a second location, revenue-based.
Term Loans
One lump sum for a buildout or expansion.
Franchise Financing
Franchise fees, mandated remodels, and multi-unit expansion.
FAQs
Restaurant Financing — Questions Operators Ask
Yes. A thin or break-even margin is normal in food service; lenders here underwrite on revenue and cash flow, not just net profit. Strong deposits and consistent sales carry the file.
A dead walk-in or a failed hood can be funded as fast as same day; most equipment funds in days. The equipment serves as collateral.
No. Seasonality is expected. A line of credit is built for it — draw through the slow months, repay when the busy season returns.
Yes. A revenue-based capital stack funds the buildout, equipment, and ramp together, typically in 2–4 weeks. See /loans/business-acquisition.
A business line of credit — you draw only what you need and repay as cash comes in, with a fixed structure that never takes a cut of your daily sales like an MCA does.
Yes. Food trucks, ghost kitchens, catering, and pop-ups all qualify on revenue with 6+ months operating.
Yes. Revenue-based franchise financing covers franchise fees, mandated remodels, and multi-unit expansion, typically funded in days to a couple of weeks.
No. A soft-pull review has zero impact on your FICO. A hard pull only happens if you choose to move forward with a specific lender's offer.
The Operator's Guide
Restaurant Financing, the Way a Thin-Margin Business Actually Runs
Why banks misread a restaurant
Here's what banks don't get about restaurants: a 4% profit margin doesn't mean you're a bad business — it means you're in a cash-timing business where one slow month can erase a quarter's profit. A bank sees the margin and declines. The lenders here see the revenue, expect the thin margin, and fund on it — on a fixed schedule, so a slow month never costs you a slice of the next busy one.
The mistake I see most is waiting until the slow season to look for money, or grabbing an MCA because it's fast. Set the line up while you're busy and strong; if you're already in an MCA, we can often consolidate it into a fixed payment that stops the daily bleed.
Every concept, funded around the cycle
Full service, fast casual, QSR, bars, cafés, food trucks, catering, pizza, bakeries, fine dining, franchises, ghost kitchens — we fund every concept. Equipment financing for the kitchen, Section 179 deductible. A line for seasonality and emergencies. Working capital for payroll and buildouts. Revenue-based capital stacks for second and third locations, and franchise financing for multi-unit expansion. The capital matched to the need, then stacked into the full number.
If there's an emergency to cover, a slow season to bridge, or a location to open — start the review. A few minutes, soft-pull, no score impact. Most operators hear back within hours.
