Franchise funding
For franchisees running steakburger and frozen custard restaurants, in-line, end cap or freestanding, with or without a drive-thru.
✓ 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
Running a Freddy's already? Merchant Fund Express funds existing Freddy's franchisees with equipment financing, working capital, lines of credit, revenue-based financing, business loans and merchant cash advances, from $25,000 to $5,000,000. We read each restaurant's deposits after royalty, the marketing fee and existing payments, with attention to whether it has a drive-thru. A complete file gets a same-day decision, and funding often follows the next business day.
Franchisees with open Freddy's Frozen Custard and Steakburgers restaurants. The brand publishes three formats: in-line without a drive-thru, end cap with a drive-thru, and standalone freestanding buildings with a drive-thru. Each format has a different cost base and sales mix, and the franchisor expects four to six managers per restaurant, so management payroll is a real line item.
The kitchen is a flat-top grill for smashed steakburgers, fryers for shoestring fries, and custard machines with dipping and topping stations. See the burger franchise sector guide and the restaurant industry page.
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 Freddy's location and need capital? Merchant Fund Express funds existing franchise owners with every product below. Terms depend on the business's revenue and history.
Custard and steakburgers are the two halves of the name, and both depend on a few heavy pieces of equipment. Equipment financing on a quote spreads replacement cost; see franchise equipment financing.
Four to six managers per restaurant is a fixed cost that does not shrink in a slow week. Working capital or a line keeps it steady; see restaurant payroll funding.
An in-line unit without a lane leans on dine-in and pickup. Owners weighing a lane or a move to an end cap bring that project to a review; see adding a drive-through.
| Need | Product | Published requirement it leans on | What to send |
|---|---|---|---|
| Custard machines, dipping cabinets | Equipment financing | Vendor quote and useful life | Quote, 3 months of statements |
| Flat-top grill, fryers, walk-in | Equipment financing or working capital | Quote; Tier 2: 6+ months, FICO 600+ | Quote, statements |
| Management payroll gap | Working capital | Tier 2: $60K verifiable revenue, $800 minimum daily balance | Statements, payroll summary |
| Beef, dairy and paper orders | Line of credit | Tier 1: 3+ years, FICO 650+, 8+ deposits a month | Statements, debt schedule |
| Drive-thru addition or refresh | Business loan | Tier 1; applicant owns 50%+ | Contractor bid, statements |
Merchant Fund Express accepts ITIN applicants and provides Spanish-speaking support.
Consider an end cap restaurant with a drive-thru depositing $165,000 a month. Food and paper run $50,000, payroll $48,000, royalty and marketing $9,900, rent $12,000 and existing payments $3,600. The owner wants a custard machine and a new flat-top grill quoted at $58,000.
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 restaurant that has not opened, or one you have not yet operated, needs history before Merchant Fund Express can review it; see buying a franchise. Owners with open restaurants who are adding one are read on current deposits; see second location funding. Taking over an operating Freddy's follows franchise transfer financing.
Yes. Custard machines and dipping cabinets are financed on a vendor quote and their useful life, with the equipment as the stated purpose.
Yes. Any open restaurant with business deposits is read the same way: deposits, existing payments and history.
Each entity is read on its own deposits and drafts, and a request can cover one restaurant or several.
A complete file gets a same-day decision, and funding often follows the next business day. The application takes about five minutes.
No. Merchant Fund Express is independent. We use the Freddy's 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 Freddy's 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.
