Franchise funding
For operators of open ice cream and cake shops.
✓ Merchant Fund Express starts with a soft credit pull. Terms depend on your location's revenue and history.
Updated October 21, 2026 · Merchant Fund Express
Already running a Baskin-Robbins and need capital? Merchant Fund Express funds existing Baskin-Robbins owners: business loans, merchant cash advances, revenue-based financing, lines of credit, equipment financing and working capital from $25,000 to $5,000,000. We read the royalty and advertising drafts shown in the fact panel, the rent and the winter dip in deposits before setting a payment that still works in February. A complete file gets a same-day decision, and funding often lands the next business day.
Owners of operating Baskin-Robbins shops with a business deposit account. Inspire Brands publishes four formats: freestanding units designed for drive-thru, endcaps where a drive-thru is preferred, a small format with drive-thru, and inline shops of about 1,006 square feet. With scooped flavors and specialty cakes, the store is a freezer business first, and summer carries much of the year.
See the dessert franchise sector guide for the category.
Checked Oct 2026 against official sources: the franchisor's own franchising site, its FDD or SEC filings, or the SBA Franchise Directory. Figures change; confirm current numbers in the latest Franchise Disclosure Document. Figures we could not confirm from an official source are left out.
Already running a Baskin-Robbins location and need capital? Merchant Fund Express funds existing franchise owners with every product below. Terms depend on the business's revenue and history.
Product loss starts within hours. Read emergency commercial refrigeration funding and franchise refrigeration funding for repair-or-replace math.
Decorating hours and inventory come first; deposits follow at pickup. A line of credit smooths it.
Deposits fall in cold months while rent and franchisor drafts do not. Revenue-based financing sized on the full pattern helps; see slow season funding.
| Need | Product | Published requirement it leans on | What to send |
|---|---|---|---|
| Replace dipping cabinets or cake freezers | Equipment financing | Vendor quote and useful life | Quote, 3 months of statements |
| Freezer or compressor emergency | Working capital | Tier 2: 6+ months in business, FICO 600+, $60,000 verifiable revenue | Repair invoice, statements |
| Summer crew and product orders | Line of credit | Tier 1: 3+ years, FICO 650+, about $25,000/month revenue | Statements, supplier invoices |
| Drive-thru window or menu board | Business loan or equipment financing | Tier 1 for the loan; quote-based for equipment | Contractor bid or quote, statements |
| Uneven deposits across seasons | Revenue-based financing | Tier 2: minimum daily balance $800, up to 2 current advances | Statements covering a slow month |
Merchant Fund Express offers Spanish-speaking support, and sole proprietors are eligible.
Take a drive-thru shop that deposits $46,000 in July but only $29,000 in January. The owner wants two new dipping cabinets and a cake freezer quoted at $28,000, so the payment is tested against January: franchisor drafts of $3,200, rent of $5,800 and existing payments of $1,500.
Figures in this example are illustrations of the arithmetic, not an offer, quote or approval. Real terms depend on the file and the funder.
A new shop has no deposit history, so it needs an operating record before Merchant Fund Express can review it; buying a franchise covers the usual path. If you already operate a Baskin-Robbins and are adding a unit, the current shops' deposits are read entity by entity; see second location funding. Taking over a shop from another franchisee follows franchise transfer financing.
Not by itself. Payments are sized to still work in the slower months.
Yes. Equipment financing is reviewed against a vendor quote and the useful life of the equipment, which keeps the term in line with how long the freezer lasts.
Yes, if the shop is open with deposits. Bring the contractor bid and any approvals you already have.
Each entity is read on its own deposits and drafts. A request can cover one shop or several; our multi-unit franchise funding page explains the approach.
No. Merchant Fund Express is independent. We use the Baskin-Robbins name only to identify the owners this page is for; it does not mean the franchisor endorses or works with us.
Merchant Fund Express is independent. Not affiliated with or endorsed by Baskin-Robbins or its franchisor. Brand names identify the owner audience only.
Merchant Fund Express reviews your location's revenue, deposits and existing payments. Same-day decision on a complete file; funding often the next business day. About five minutes to apply.
