Funding for your situation
How funding works for a bar in its first months and a short file, and what to build before you apply.
✓ Checking what you qualify for does not affect your credit score.
Starting a bar from scratch or buying one both leave a thin record. What helps is a business account with real deposits and a request sized to them. Card sales with high tip volume; deposits cluster on Thursday to Sunday.
Merchant Fund Express is a funding marketplace: you apply once, and the file is matched to the structure that fits it. The sections below show what this situation usually costs, how a funder reads it, and what to prepare.
A bar file is read through weekly deposit rhythm and weekend dependence, licensing status and whether it transfers with a purchase and cost of goods paid ahead of sales.
Card sales with high tip volume; deposits cluster on Thursday to Sunday. A reviewer sees that pattern in the statements before reading a word of the application.
Equipment is part of the picture. A failure such as a keg cooler and glycol system or a sound system repair can run $5,400 to $5,400 and interrupt revenue while it is down.
The documents that usually matter most for a bar are lease or letter of intent and license documentation if purchasing a bar, alongside the bank statements.
These are the same factors described on revenue and deposit requirements and time in business. Merchant Fund Express walks you through how your own file reads before you apply.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Months of business deposits so far | 3 |
| Average monthly deposits (illustrative) | $39,000 |
| A modest first request (illustrative) | $23,000 |
| Minimum FICO considered | 500 |
| Typical documents needed | 3 |
How it is read. A new bar file is judged on how the deposits behave and how the request sits against them. See time in business and funding with a new owner.
Source: worksheet by Merchant Fund Express. Illustrative only: these figures are not an offer, and real amounts depend on your file and the funder.
Business income flowing through a business account.
The single most useful thing to build.
Sized to deposits and tied to a use.
Liquor license and insurance in place.
A complete file is what makes a same-day decision possible. If something is missing, tell us and we will work around it.
Sometimes, depending on deposits and the size of the request. Merchant Fund Express gives a same-day decision on a complete file; the minimum FICO is 500.
Often a few more months of clean deposits make the same request easier and cheaper. We can tell you where the file stands today.
The seller's history helps the plan, but the review is built on your file. See funding with a new owner.
The minimum FICO is 500, and better credit means better products and terms. See credit score requirements for how the tiers work.
Merchant Fund Express gives a same-day decision on a complete file. Applying takes a few minutes and will not affect your credit score.
