8 Funding Sources For Starting Your Own Restaurant
QUESTION From: Lindsey in TX
“Hi, I am going through old posts, doing some research and saw you offer advice to a coffee shop owner almost a year ago. My husband and I are in the process of opening a coffee shop - bakery including the sale of adult beverages to go. We are in one of the fastest growing counties in the US. The area we are developing has 33,000 cars drive by a day. We will have the most emphasis on the drive-thru but also a small seating indoor and outdoor for approximately 20 people. We are looking for someone that may be interested in investing or venture capitalists. Do you have recommendations for seeking funding for our new business? My family has owned a bar and restaurant for over 40 years and we are ready to open on our spot but with a little different twist! Thank you for your time, look forward to hearing from you.”
HH ANSWER:
When you say your family has owned a bar and restaurant for over 40 years, the first thing an investment bank or VC is likely to ask you is- “Which members of the family have been running the restaurant for 40 years and are they the same members of the family that will be opening the next one?”.
Additionally, any seasoned investor will want to see a complete set of financials illustrating past success and a detailed global snapshot of the proposed business in order to assess viability and demonstrated fiscal responsibility that will include: the use / allocation of all funds, debt coverage ratio, break even and solid return.
I’ve worked with several people who had grown-up in family businesses and worked in them for years only to go off on their own (or with one or two other family members) believing they can replicate the team’s previous successes only to realize (and in some cases never realize) that they grossly under-estimated the value, commitment and efforts of the entire team.
(See the children’s book: Mike Mulligan & His Steam Shovel - it’s a book about a guy who digs some of the world’s greatest and most important tunnels and holes with ‘some others’...then sets out to go at it alone and ends up only being able to do one job because he gets stuck in the basement.)
I’m not saying you lack the support, commitment, experience or skills necessary to kill it in your next venture, but I am saying that 40 years of a successful family business is largely irrelevant when you’re talking about starting a different business that won’t be run by the same operating team. So, if that’s the hook for an investor, I’d focus more on friends & family as a source for start-up capital.
That being said, here are a few ideas on how to fund your new restaurant (the specifics and applicability will depend on whether you are leasing, purchasing or already own the real estate):
1. BOOTSTRAPPING
With your own loan(s), funds and/or funds of friends and family:
Mattress Money / Sale of Assets
HELOC (Home Equity Line Of Credit)
401k WITHDRAWL (+penalties and taxes for realized ‘income’)
LOC (Line Of Credit from existing business)
SBA 504/504B Loan (can be a great source of capital if funds are needed for fit-out / renovations / improvement of the bldg which can not only be a significant amount of money for little money down but also obtainable at more than reasonable rates).
FRIENDS & FAMILY / committed pools of capital designated for central business district development or f&b ventures from investment fund.
2. STRATEGIC LANDLORD ALLIANCE
(e.g., with TI and/or a Percentage Rent structure)
More than half of all deals I’ve worked on have included TI (tenant improvement dollars)from $50/psf to $1.5MM or more including full build-outs down to the china and glassware. How that is negotiated is crucial because you don’t want it simply ending up essentially being alone that is gradually paid back via increased rent payments. A Landlord’s willingness and flexibility to negotiate often depends on the unique qualities both parties bring to the table (i.e.,Tenant’s background, PR, concept, past success, etc... and/or on the Landlord side - it depends on whether or not the restaurant concept is an amenity to the building, fills a unique niche in their portfolio, acts as a driver for another investment, etc...
Also relevant is how many and what other projects the Landlord may have going on at the time, how leveraged they are with their own financing and how motivated their investors might be to claim a particular Tenant....or a tenant at all.
This free guide might be some help to you - but to give specific advice, one would need specific details about you, your location, the surrounding community and the Landlord(s):
3. BIG FAN / LOYAL GUEST INVESTMENT
Investment from / Partnership with Big Fan & Loyal Customer of existing establishment who’s been saying: “You should have your own place” or “Why don’t you open a place near....”
4. VC / PRIVATE EQUITY
From a firm (preferably a local boutique investment bank or capital intermediary) who sees success in your existing model (in one or a variety of demographics / markets) and values the replication systems you have in place for possible expansion or relocation within or outside of your current market.
5. FRANCHISOR ASSISTANCE
Assistance from franchise company (some groups have unique loan programs based on your existing assets and future sales (Most groups don’t...but some may be amenable to such an arrangement if it’s structured in a clear & simple win-win fashion).
6. CROWDSOURSE FUNDING
From organizations like GoFundMe, Kickstarter, Patreon, etc...
In addition to crowdsourcing, there are a few people (with a cult-like following) who have been successful in what’s known as ‘Crowd Product Funding’ or CPF in which you’re basically pre-selling your product... and that can take countless forms (speak to your attorney to be sure it won’t cause problems down the road with the IRS or SEC) like a membership to a Dinner Club.
I’ve structured a few launches using pre-paid VIP Memberships to fans of an existing chef and operating partner.
(Think gift cards, no-cover access and exclusive benefits for “Founding Members” that range from complimentary apps & bevs to no banquet room charges, free delivery, free valet, exclusive tastings, “Founding Member”-only events, club-like general access , etc..)
Your imagination may be the only limit on structures like these. But they do require a base of loyal guests who already know you and/or love what you’re already doing.
7. RESTAURANT COLLECTIVE
Although I have never structure a deal like this… Another potential way to find a restaurant might be in pooling the limited resources that exist between two or even three groups - All seeking to open a similar concept. Although they say “too many cooks spoil the soup.”, I am of the opinion that it might be very possible for an independent third-party (who is capable of vetting two or three parties individually and collectively) can successfully negotiate a partnership wherein a single unit could be developed with the express understanding that another unit would open after meeting certain financial benchmarks and be run independently or collectively. At that time the partnership could be dissolved and individual ownership could ensue.
8. EMPLOYEE INVESTORS
Then there’s always the co-op model where some restaurants have proved that every employee is a stakeholder and equity partner in the business.
Here are just a few articles that discuss the benefits:
https://www.eater.com/platform/amp/2018/5/21/17369640/co-op-restaurants
Ok…so I know I said only 8 but there is one more source (yes a #9 in my list of “8 Funding Sources For Your Restaurant”) for restaurant financing that I usually keep up my sleeve for qualifying experienced Clients. It’s a program through the Small Business Administration (SBA) known as the 504 Loan program. This is a loan ideally arranged for an experienced operator (with 2+ years under their belt) but can also be arranged for new owner / operators. Ready for the best part? Loans are typically up to $5MM and not only include real estate…but also FF&E…and instead of collateralizing the whole amount (signing over your house or your friends’ or family members’ homes to cover the loan in case of default / non-payment), you only need to come up with 10% of the total amount.
These are the programs I saw serial real estate investors use to take advantage of their Chef or GM partners who not only did most of the work, but would actually put up MORE money than the principle owner / investor…only to be burned and/or squeezed out later.
Let me explain: So, to get one of these loans, the borrower / owner only has to put up 10% of the loan amount. The rest is put up by a lending institution (50%) and a CDC Developer (40%)…and the whole loan is guaranteed by the Federal Government. So it would not be a rare occurrence for me to see the Owner of a $2MM project, take out a loan for $!MM (that cost her $100,000) and get 2 partners to come up with the other million - one who remortgages their home for $500k and the other who pulls friends and family money together for the other $500k So now there’s $2MM on the table and the one who has 51-75% ownership is the party who actually came up with the least amount of cash…AND can literally vote the other two minority partners out at-will. Especially if they have a halfway decent operating agreement.
But even if they AREN’T squeezed out. The business is still essentially owned and controlled by a principle or managing partner who only put up 20% of what their often inexperienced counterparts threw in.
The reason I tell you this is not to teach you how to exploit partners…but to warn you against one of the most common ways I’ve seen hard-working managers get squeezed out of deals with their “partners”. …AND to let you know about a phenomenal opportunity that might be waiting for you if you are willing to own the bricks of your establishment which is 100% what I would recommend in any scenario…unless you own a food truck - in which case I’d advise you to buy a parking lot - NOT a restaurant. This is the kind of advice I typically reserve for paying Clients only …but make available to those who subscribe to the Hospitality Helpline Library now as well.
Anyway - here’s some of the details available online for your consideration:
Read this and then speak with your local lending institution and a representative from the SBA to see if their 504 programs might be a reasonable option for you.
If you have successful operating experience, a team and a solid plan - it very well may be…EVEN IF this is your first restaurant…if it is your first venture, just be ready to put an extra 5% down on the loan (15% instead of 10%).
“There are three partners in an SBA 504 loan—the borrower, a bank or other regulated lender, and a CDC. Typically the borrower must contribute 10% of the total project cost; their bank lends 50% at their own rate and term (as long as the term is at least 10 years), and has a first lien on the assets being financed; and the CDC lends 40%, with a second lien. If the financing is for real estate, as most 504 loans are, the CDC's loan is for twenty years at a fixed rate of interest. The fully amortized rate for loans funding in August 2010 was 4.931% (the number changes based on the rate for current 5-year and 10-year U.S. Treasury issues). The funds for these loans are raised through a monthly auction of debentures that are 100% guaranteed by the U.S. Government. If the financing is for long-lasting fixed equipment such as printing presses, commercial laundry equipment, manufacturing equipment, etc., the 504 loan term is 10 years…
Total project costs can include the costs for land and existing building or equipment; hard construction/renovation; fixtures and equipment; certain furniture; professional fees including appraisals and environmental investigations; soft costs; and closing costs. Project costs can usually be financed in their entirety with a 504 loan, whereas most commercial bank loans only finance a percentage of the purchase price/appraised value and borrowers would have to come up with closing and soft costs out of pocket.”
Good luck! And let me know how do you decide to move forward or if I can help in any way. UbiquityAdvisors occasionally partners with owner operators via micro loans and equity partnerships.
Regards,
Josh Sapienza | UbiquityAdvisors.com