The Pinch Points
Why QSR Operators Come to Us Instead of Their Bank
Quick-service runs on someone else's timing — the franchisor's remodel clock, the volume that wears out equipment, the thin margins that leave no room. Sound familiar?
The Franchisor-Mandated Remodel
Franchisors require image-refresh remodels on a schedule — $200K–$500K a unit — a capital demand the operator doesn't get to time.
The Drive-Thru & Throughput Equipment
Drive-thru systems, digital menu boards, and kitchen automation run $50K–$150K — the equipment that drives the volume QSR lives on.
The Unit Build-Out
A new QSR unit is a $300K–$1M build — equipment, drive-thru, signage, and site work before the first order.
The Thin-Margin Volume Model
QSR margins are thin and made on volume; labor and food cost run constant while a slow stretch still has to cover the fixed nut.
The Equipment Refresh
Fryers, grills, and prep equipment wear hard in a high-volume kitchen; replacing them is recurring capital, not a one-time buy.
Adding a Unit or Buying a Franchise
Acquiring an existing unit or opening another franchise location is a $300K–$2M move that won't wait on a slow approval queue.
What an operator said
“Corporate hit us with a remodel mandate right when we were trying to open a third location — there was no way to do both out of cash flow. Financing the remodel let us stay on schedule with corporate and still open the new unit.”
S. Patel · QSR franchisee · Phoenix, AZ
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 QSR & Fast Food Operators
Equipment & Remodel Financing With §179
Finance the drive-thru, kitchen equipment, and the mandated remodel; §179 writes off the gear the year it's in service, so a refresh on the franchisor's clock doesn't drain yours.
Working Capital for the Volume Model
An unsecured, revenue-based working line carries labor and food cost through the slow stretches a thin-margin volume model can't otherwise absorb.
Capital for the Equipment Refresh
Financing the recurring fryer, grill, and prep-equipment replacement keeps a high-volume kitchen running without a cash-flow hit each time.
Revenue-Based Unit & Franchise Acquisition Capital
Add a unit or acquire a franchise location on revenue-based, capital-stacked financing — not an SBA queue.
Match Your Situation
The Cash-Flow Gaps We Fund for QSR & Fast Food Operators
Match your situation to the structure. Every one of these funds on the operation's revenue, not a perfect credit file.
| What It Looks Like | Funding Solution | Amount | Speed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Franchisor's remodel clock | The franchisor sets the remodel clock, not you | Equipment Financing | $75K–$5M+ | 3–7 days |
| Big-ticket equipment | Drive-thru and kitchen equipment are big-ticket | Equipment Financing | $75K–$5M+ | 3–7 days |
| No slow-week buffer | Thin volume margins leave no slow-week buffer | Working Capital | $75K–$5M+ | 1–3 days |
The Products
How QSR & Fast Food Financing Is Structured
Most QSR files fund between $75K and $5M+, structured to the equipment and the remodel 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 | Drive-thru, menu boards, fryers, grills, remodel | 3–7 days | Equipment serves as collateral |
| Working Capital | $75K–$5M+ | 6mo–10yr | Labor and food cost through slow stretches | 1–3 days | Often unsecured, revenue-based |
| Business LOC | $75K–$5M+ | Revolving | Recurring equipment-refresh draws | 1–5 days | Unsecured line, no PG by default |
| Revenue-Based Financing | $75K–$5M+ | 6mo–24mo | Funding the mandate without draining the unit | 1–3 days | Repays as a share of daily card sales |
Tax Strategy
Section 179 on the Drive-Thru & Equipment — 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
“Quick-service is a business of someone else's timing — the franchisor decides when you remodel, the volume decides when your equipment wears out, and the margins are thin enough that a mandated $300K refresh can feel like a punishment for success. The operators who run multiple units profitably are the ones who finance those capital demands instead of letting them drain a unit's cash flow. We fund the remodel, the drive-thru, and the equipment — §179 returns roughly $62,530 on $169K of gear — and the working capital to carry the volume model through the slow weeks. Meet the franchisor's clock on financing, and keep your own cash for running the restaurant.”
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 qsr / fast food 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
QSR & Fast Food Restaurant Financing
The Capital Demands Aren't on Your Schedule
Quick-service is a volume game played on equipment you don't get to time. The franchisor sets an image-refresh remodel on a six-figure schedule. The drive-thru, menu boards, and kitchen automation that move the volume are big-ticket and wear hard. And the margins that make it work are thin enough that paying for any of it out of a single unit's cash flow stings. A bank wants two years of returns; corporate's remodel deadline doesn't.
One Application, 70+ Lenders
We fund QSR and fast-food operators on the operation's revenue, not a perfect credit file — equipment financing for the drive-thru, kitchen line, and the mandated remodel with §179 on the gear, a working line for labor and food cost through the slow weeks, and capital for the recurring equipment refresh. Adding a unit or acquiring a franchise location stacks revenue-based instead of waiting in an SBA queue. One application, 70+ lenders, soft-pull review.
Common Questions
QSR / Fast Food Financing — Questions, Answered
Yes — equipment/remodel financing covers the refresh, with §179 writing off the gear the year it's in service.
Yes — the drive-thru, menu boards, and kitchen line are covered, written off the year in service.
Yes — an unsecured, revenue-based line carries labor and food cost through the slow stretches.
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 — stacked revenue-based on the operation, not an SBA 7(a) loan.
Recommended Funding
The Products That Fit QSR / Fast Food Work
Equipment Financing →
Finance the drive-thru, menu boards, fryers, and the mandated remodel — the equipment is the collateral.
Franchise Financing →
Fund a franchisor-mandated remodel or another franchise location on the operation's revenue.
Working Capital Loans →
Carry labor and food cost through the slow stretches a thin-margin volume model can't absorb.