Funding for your situation
What a remodel or move takes in cash, how Merchant Fund Express reads a project file, and a worked example with illustrative numbers.
✓ Checking what you qualify for does not affect your credit score.
Some restaurant owners outgrow the space; others outgrow the look of it. The line is full on Friday and Saturday, but the second dining room has been dark since the last tenant left. Either way the money goes out before the new space produces anything.
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 restaurant file is read through card and total deposits over the last three months, and how steady they are week to week, whether a lease, build-out or equipment purchase is already paid for or is what the funds are for and existing advances or loans debiting the same account.
Most sales are card and tip-adjusted, so deposits are daily and easy to read, but food cost and payroll are paid first. 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 walk-in cooler compressor or a dishwasher replacement can run $6,500 to $7,800 and interrupt revenue while it is down.
The documents that usually matter most for a restaurant are the lease or letter of intent for the space and a contractor bid or equipment quote, alongside the bank statements.
A real cost of the move that is easy to leave out of the first estimate.
A fixed purchase with a quote you can put in front of a funder.
Often front-loaded and easy to leave out of the first estimate.
A real cost of the move that is easy to leave out of the first estimate.
The spend that fills the new capacity, which is why it belongs in the plan.
| Cost item | Illustrative amount |
|---|---|
| Construction and finishes | $51,000 |
| Fixtures, furniture and equipment updates | $16,000 |
| Permits and professional fees | $5,500 |
| Reduced-revenue weeks during the work | $9,000 |
| Reopening marketing | $3,500 |
| Cushion for overruns and slow early weeks (about 10%) | $8,500 |
| Remodel or move total | $93,500 |
Sizing check. If the full repayment shown in an offer were $122,000 over about 26 weeks, the weekly debit would be about $4,692. Against illustrative monthly deposits of $95,000 (about $21,923 a week), that is roughly 21% of weekly deposits. Your own offer states the real repayment amount in dollars; run your numbers on the factor rate calculator before you accept anything.
Source: worksheet by Merchant Fund Express. Illustrative only: these figures are not an offer, and real amounts depend on your file and the funder.
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.
A complete file is what makes a same-day decision possible. If something is missing, tell us and we will work around it.
Yes, if the owner or landlord has authorized the work and the remaining term supports it. Bring the lease and the bid.
If the spend is mostly equipment, equipment financing fits. For construction and mixed costs, working capital or a term loan may fit better.
We read deposits as they are today and note the project. A clear plan and timeline help the file.
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.
