Franchise funding
For operators who open the doors before sunrise: what to fund, which product fits, and how a Hardee's file is read.
✓ 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 Hardee's and need capital? Merchant Fund Express funds existing Hardee's owners: business loans, merchant cash advances, revenue-based financing, lines of credit, equipment financing and working capital, from $25,000 to $5,000,000. Because a Hardee's day starts with scratch biscuits hours before lunch, we read the morning-heavy deposit pattern, franchisor drafts and food bills together. A complete file gets a same-day decision, and funding often follows the next business day.
Owners and operating partners of open Hardee's restaurants, from a single small-town store to a multi-unit group. Hardee's says its Biscuit Makers start at 4 a.m. and make each batch from scratch every 15 minutes, and the menu leans on charbroiled Angus burgers and hand-breaded chicken tenders. The kitchen is labor-heavy and the breakfast window is decisive: ovens, broilers and fryers must be ready before the first car arrives.
The footprint is strongest in the Midwest and Southeast. See the burger franchise funding sector guide and our 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 Hardee'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.
A failed oven or proofer can wipe out the most profitable part of the day. Owners ask for quick equipment repair funding while a replacement quote is pending.
Flame-grilled burgers and hand-breaded tenders keep broilers, fryers and hoods running hard. Equipment financing spreads a lumpy replacement over its useful life.
A scratch-baking crew is paid before deposits settle, and flour, dairy and chicken are bought ahead of sales. See restaurant payroll funding.
| Need | Product | Published requirement it leans on | What to send |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biscuit ovens, mixers or proofers | Equipment financing | Vendor quote and useful life | Quote, 3 months of statements |
| Charbroiler or fryer emergency repair | Working capital | Tier 2: 6+ months, FICO 600+, $60K verifiable revenue | Repair invoice, statements |
| Food, paper and holiday demand | Line of credit | Tier 1: 3+ years, FICO 650+, about $25K/month revenue | Statements, debt schedule |
| Dining room or drive-thru refresh | Business loan | Tier 1, applicant owns at least 50% | Contractor estimate, statements |
| Seasonal dip in a rural store | Revenue-based financing | Tier 2: minimum daily balance $800 | Statements for that entity |
Merchant Fund Express accepts ITIN applicants and offers Spanish-speaking support.
Picture a Hardee's with $92,000 in monthly deposits. Food and paper drafts are $29,000, payroll $27,000, franchisor drafts $7,400, rent $8,000 and existing payments $2,600. The owner wants two biscuit ovens and a charbroiler 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 store that has not opened has no deposits to read, so it needs operating history first; see buying a franchise. An owner adding a store is read on current deposits, entity by entity (second-location funding). Taking over an operating store follows franchise transfer financing.
Yes. Equipment financing is reviewed against a vendor quote and useful life; ovens and broilers usually suit a multi-year term.
No. A breakfast-led day still produces daily card settlements, and that consistency is what we read.
Yes. Each entity is read on its own deposits and obligations.
Usually not. Bank statements and the short application start it; full financials come in above $250,000.
No. Merchant Fund Express is independent. We use the Hardee'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 Hardee'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.
