The Pinch Points
Why Fast-Casual Operators Come to Us Instead of Their Bank
In fast-casual the demand is rarely the constraint — the cash to build the next unit is. Every new location costs months of ramp before it pays for itself. Sound familiar?
The New-Unit Build-Out
A fast-casual unit — kitchen line, counter, kiosks, dining, build-out — runs $200K–$700K before it opens.
The Ramp-to-Profitability Gap
A new unit takes months to ramp to steady volume; payroll and rent run from day one while the location builds its customer base.
The Multi-Unit Cash Drain
Running several units means food cost, labor, and management overhead at each, carried against a brand growing faster than its cash generation.
The Equipment & Tech Standard
Kiosks, kitchen display systems, and the tech that makes fast-casual fast run $30K–$80K a unit — the standard customers now expect.
The Site & Lease Commitment
Securing the next good location often means committing to the lease and build before the capital to fund it has come back from the last unit.
Acquiring a Unit or a Small Brand
Acquiring an existing unit or a small competing brand is a $300K–$2M move that won't wait on a slow approval queue.
What an operator said
“We had three units printing money and a fourth site we wanted, but every expansion meant draining the locations that were working. Financing the build-out broke that ceiling — we're at nine units now and the growth funds itself.”
D. Okafor · fast-casual brand · Austin, TX
Start Here
See Your Range in 60 Seconds
No credit check, no documents to start, and an estimated funding range on the spot. No one contacts you until you’re ready to move forward.
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
Built for the Trade
What We Fund for Fast-Casual Brands
Unit Build-Out Financing With §179
Finance each new unit's kitchen, kiosks, and build-out; §179 writes off the equipment the year the unit opens, so growth doesn't come out of the existing units' cash.
Working Capital Through the Ramp
An unsecured, revenue-based working line carries a new unit's payroll and overhead through the months it takes to ramp to steady volume.
Capital to Hold the Next Site
Financing lets you commit to the next location's lease and build on your timeline, not on when the last unit's cash comes back.
Revenue-Based Multi-Unit & Acquisition Capital
Open the next unit or acquire a small brand on revenue-based, capital-stacked financing across locations — not an SBA queue.
Match Your Situation
The Cash-Flow Gaps We Fund for Fast-Casual Brands
Match your situation to the structure. Every one of these funds on the brand's revenue, not a perfect credit file.
| What It Looks Like | Funding Solution | Amount | Speed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| One unit at a time | Banks fund one unit slowly, not a growth plan | Revenue-Based Financing | $75K–$5M+ | 1–3 days |
| Months-long ramp | A new unit ramps for months before it pays | Working Capital | $75K–$5M+ | 1–3 days |
| Six-figure build-out | Each build-out is six figures before opening | Equipment Financing | $75K–$5M+ | 3–7 days |
The Products
How Fast-Casual Financing Is Structured
Most fast-casual files fund between $75K and $5M+, structured to the unit build-out and the ramp in front of you. Larger lines available when revenue, cash flow, and story qualify.
| Amount | Term | Best For | Funding Speed | Typical Structure | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Equipment Financing | $75K–$5M+ | 3yr–7yr | Kitchen line, counter, kiosks, build-out | 3–7 days | Equipment serves as collateral |
| Working Capital | $75K–$5M+ | 6mo–10yr | New-unit payroll and overhead through ramp | 1–3 days | Often unsecured, revenue-based |
| Business LOC | $75K–$5M+ | Revolving | Multi-unit food and labor draws | 1–5 days | Unsecured line, no PG by default |
| Revenue-Based Financing | $75K–$5M+ | 6mo–24mo | Holding the next site before cash returns | 1–3 days | Repays as a share of daily card sales |
Tax Strategy
Section 179 on the Unit Build-Out — Worked
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
“Fast-casual is the rare restaurant model where the math actually works at scale — a good concept with proven unit economics is basically a machine for turning capital into more units. The constraint is almost never demand; it's how fast you can fund the next build-out without bleeding the units already open. The operators who go from three locations to thirty are the ones who finance the growth instead of pacing it to their own cash flow. We fund the build-out — §179 returns roughly $56,980 on a $154K unit — and the working capital to carry each one through its ramp. Open the next location while the last one's still finding its feet, and let proven economics do the rest.”
Bobby Friel · Founder · 20+ years in banking and finance
How It Works
From Application to Funded
One application, 70+ lenders competing, a dedicated specialist, and most files funded in days.
60-second estimate
Enter your numbers — no credit check, no documents. You see an estimated funding range on the spot.
A specialist is assigned
A real funding specialist — not an algorithm — reviews your file, usually within 24 hours.
70+ lenders compete
Your application goes to the marketplace. Competing offers typically land 24–48 hours later.
You pick the offer
Compare structures and terms with your advisor. No obligation until you choose to sign.
Funded in days
From same-day working capital to a multi-piece stack, most files fund in days — not the bank’s 60–90.
Underwriting
What Underwriting Looks At
Funding here leads with what your business actually does — your revenue and cash flow. The specialist desk reads the real picture from your statements, then matches it to the lenders most likely to fund it.
How you’re evaluated
Revenue-first
sized off your top line, not just your balance sheet.
Cash-flow driven
your bank statements show how the business really runs.
Bank-statement underwriting
even a down year is read off 4 months of statements.
Story-driven
a big new contract, a seasonal swing, a turnaround in progress: context the raw numbers miss counts too.
What to have ready
↳Had a loss year? It’s read off the bank statements — 4 months, not 6.
Start fast, finish complete
The operators who fund quickest come to the specialist review with these ready — but you don’t need all of it to start. Your signed application and bank statements are what unblock the review; the rest can follow as trailing docs. Real term sheets come once the lenders can see a true business overview, so the move is simple: get the application and statements in right away, and don’t let a missing tax return hold up your term sheets.
Credit, straight
Qualification
Who Gets Funded — and Who’s Not Ready Yet
A straight read saves everyone time — here’s the line between a fast casual file that funds and one that isn’t ready yet.
↳Time in business is a factor, not a gate — newer crews with strong revenue still qualify.
Not ready yet isn’t a no — it’s a checklist. Most of it is fixable in a quarter or two, and your advisor will tell you straight which gaps to fix before a file goes in.
The Operator's Guide
Fast-Casual Restaurant Financing
Growth Is a Cash Problem, Not a Demand Problem
For a working fast-casual concept, the hard part isn't whether the next unit will succeed — it's funding the build and the ramp without starving the units already running. A new location is a six-figure build of kitchen line, counter, and kiosks, then months of payroll and rent while it climbs to steady volume. Pace that to your own cash flow and you grow one slow unit at a time; a slow bank approval doesn't move any faster.
One Application, 70+ Lenders
We fund fast-casual brands on the brand's revenue across locations, not a perfect credit file — equipment financing for each unit's build-out with §179 on the gear, a working line that carries the ramp, and capital to hold the next site before the last one's cash returns. Adding a unit or acquiring a small brand stacks revenue-based instead of waiting in an SBA queue. One application, 70+ lenders, soft-pull review.
Common Questions
Fast Casual Financing — Questions, Answered
Yes — equipment financing covers the kitchen, kiosks, and build-out; §179 writes it off the year the unit opens.
Yes — an unsecured, revenue-based line carries payroll and overhead until the unit hits steady volume.
Yes — financing lets you commit to the lease and build on your timeline, not on the last unit's cash.
Signed application, four months bank statements, P&L, balance sheet, two years returns; losses → four months statements. Soft credit pull only — zero FICO impact to see your range.
Yes — build-out and ramp capital stacked revenue-based across locations, not an SBA 7(a) loan.
Recommended Funding