Franchise funding
For owners of single and double sided drive-thrus: how a no-royalty, supply-based model reads in a funding review.
✓ 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
Merchant Fund Express funds existing The Human Bean owners: business loans, merchant cash advances, revenue-based financing, lines of credit, equipment financing and working capital from $25,000 to $5,000,000. This franchisor publishes no royalty and earns on required coffee and supply purchases, so we read those supplier drafts and the brand fee against your deposits. A complete file gets a same-day decision, and funding often lands the next business day.
Owners of open The Human Bean outlets in any published layout: single sided or double sided stand-alone drive-thrus, or a cafe or end cap with a drive-thru. Sites sit on busy morning commute routes. Roasted beans come from the franchisor's affiliate roaster, BRIGHT energy drinks from another affiliate, and other inventory from designated suppliers, which makes supply orders the largest recurring draft.
Read it with the coffee and beverage franchise sector guide and our coffee shop 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 The Human Bean location and need capital? Merchant Fund Express funds existing franchise owners with every product below. Terms depend on the business's revenue and history.
With no royalty, required coffee and supply purchases are the main franchisor-related cost, and busy months mean bigger orders first; a coffee inventory funding line fits that rhythm.
Espresso machines, blenders and ice machines run hard at the morning rush; equipment financing replaces a failed one on a quote.
Drive-thru speed depends on trained crew. Payroll for training and peak staffing comes before the faster window pays it back; see coffee shop payroll funding.
| Need | Product | Published requirement it leans on | What to send |
|---|---|---|---|
| Espresso or blender replacement | Equipment financing | Vendor quote and useful life | Quote, 3 months of statements |
| Larger coffee and supply orders | Line of credit | Tier 1: 3+ years, FICO 650+, 8+ deposits a month | Statements, supplier invoices |
| Crew training and peak payroll | Working capital | Tier 2: 6+ months, FICO 600+, $60K verifiable revenue | Statements, payroll register |
| Uneven commuter months | Revenue-based financing | Tier 2: $800 minimum daily balance; scores from 500 considered | Statements |
| Window or lane upgrade | Business loan | Tier 1: about $25K/month revenue, applicant owns 50%+ | Quote, statements |
Tax returns are not part of a typical first review. Sole proprietors are eligible.
Suppose a double sided drive-thru deposits $88,000 a month. Payroll is $26,000, required coffee and supply purchases $27,000, the brand fee $880, rent $6,500 and existing payments $3,620. The owner wants two espresso machines quoted at $46,000.
Figures in this example are illustrations of the arithmetic, not an offer, quote or approval. Real terms depend on the file and the funder.
An outlet still in site analysis or construction has no deposits, so it needs operating history before Merchant Fund Express can review it. Owners adding an outlet are read on their current outlet's deposits; see second location funding. Taking over an open outlet is covered on franchise transfer financing.
We read the brand fee and required supply purchases as recurring obligations and size payments after them.
Yes. Equipment financing is reviewed against a vendor quote and each machine's useful life.
Yes. Both are read on their own deposits under the same tiers.
Each outlet or entity is read on its own deposits and obligations, so a request can cover one outlet or several.
No. Merchant Fund Express is independent. We use the The Human Bean 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 The Human Bean 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.
