Franchise funding
When the franchisor announces a system-wide technology refresh, every unit needs the money at roughly the same time. Plan it before the deadline.
✓ Merchant Fund Express starts with a soft credit pull. Terms depend on your business's revenue and history.
Updated October 21, 2026 · Merchant Fund Express
Already running a franchise and facing a POS or technology refresh? Merchant Fund Express funds existing franchise owners for kiosks, digital menu boards, drive-thru timers and headsets, kitchen display systems and online-ordering hardware. Hardware with a clear quote fits equipment financing; installation, training hours and the rollout gap fit working capital or a line of credit.
Franchise systems update their technology on a schedule the owner does not control. A franchisor-scheduled refresh can touch every screen in the building at once:
The generic guide upgrade your POS and tech covers non-franchise businesses. This page is about the franchise version, where the deadline and the approved vendor list come from the brand.
Split the refresh into its pieces. Merchant Fund Express can fund both halves, but they belong in different products.
| Cost line | Product that fits | What the review leans on | Read next |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kiosks, boards, KDS screens, headsets (hardware on a quote) | Equipment financing | Vendor quote, useful life of the hardware | Equipment financing |
| Installation, cabling, network upgrades | Working capital or term loan | Contractor invoice; not resaleable | Working capital |
| Training hours and overtime during go-live | Line of credit draw | Payroll timing | Line of credit |
| Software setup or activation fees | Working capital | One-time cash cost | Working capital overview |
| Whole refresh bundled for one unit | Term loan | Tier 1, first position, $10K to $250K | Franchise term loans |
Hardware ages fast, so keep the financing term inside the useful life. Paying for a screen long after it is replaced is the mistake to avoid. For the general comparison see term loan vs equipment financing.
A system-wide refresh hits a multi-unit owner several times over, usually inside one deadline window. Three practical approaches:
The multi-unit funding guide explains how Merchant Fund Express reads several entities together.
A hypothetical owner of 3 drive-thru units receives a refresh notice. Per unit:
| Line | Figure |
|---|---|
| 2 self-order kiosks | $14,000 |
| Drive-thru menu boards and player | $11,500 |
| Headsets and timer system | $6,500 |
| Kitchen display screens | $5,000 |
| Hardware per unit | $14,000 + $11,500 + $6,500 + $5,000 = $37,000 |
| Install, cabling and training per unit | $8,000 |
| Total per unit | $37,000 + $8,000 = $45,000 |
| Three units | $45,000 x 3 = $135,000 |
Financing the $111,000 of hardware ($37,000 x 3) against the vendor quote and drawing $24,000 ($8,000 x 3) on a line of credit as each store goes live keeps the long-lived and short-lived costs in separate structures.
Figures in this example are illustrations of the arithmetic, not an offer, quote or approval. Real terms depend on the file and the funder.
Merchant Fund Express reads royalty and ad fund debits, plus any technology or software fees the franchisor already drafts, as normal recurring costs and sizes the new payment after them. Each unit is reviewed on its own deposits and its own entity. Existing positions are counted; where an older advance is heavy, a new structure can lower the payment so the refresh does not squeeze payroll.
Terms depend on revenue and history. The starting file is about 3 months of business bank statements; no tax returns for a typical first review.
Apply before the vendor needs a deposit, not after. A same-day decision on a complete file means the funding conversation does not have to start the week of install. Start the application.
Yes. Hardware with a vendor quote fits equipment financing; keep the term inside the hardware's useful life.
No. Merchant Fund Express reads franchisor technology, royalty and ad fund debits as normal recurring costs and sizes the payment after them.
Those are short-lived costs. Working capital or a line of credit draw fits better than equipment financing.
Each unit is reviewed through the entity that owns it. Many owners fund unit by unit as installs happen, or use a line of credit for the rollout.
Existing positions are counted. A line of credit can sit in second position, and a new structure can lower the payment where the current one is heavy.
Same-day decision on a complete file, with funding often the next business day.
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.
