INDUSTRY FUNDING
Margins live and die by food cost and cover counts, and equipment never fails on a slow night. Coast funds restaurants at the speed the kitchen demands.
Restaurant revenue moves with the calendar in a way most lenders never bother to learn. Patio season and holiday parties push cover counts up; January pulls them down. The rent, the insurance, and the payment on the hood system don't move at all. That mismatch — fixed obligations against seasonal covers — is the most common reason healthy restaurants run short of cash.
Then there's equipment. A walk-in compressor never fails on a slow Tuesday; it fails Friday afternoon with a full reservation book. When the slicer, the range, or the dish machine goes down, you're not comparing term sheets for three weeks — you need the replacement ordered before the weekend. Coast's restaurant equipment financing regularly works straight from the vendor invoice you already have in hand.
And build-outs: a second location, a bigger line, a private-dining room. Deposits, permits, and FF&E all get paid long before the first cover is served. Many banks read the restaurant NAICS code as risk and stop there. We read the revenue, the concept, and the operator — then structure around them.
The walk-in, range, or slicer dies mid-week. Short-term working capital gets the replacement ordered before the weekend rush instead of after it.
Combi ovens, refrigeration lines, hood systems, POS — financed over 2–5 years with the equipment itself as collateral, so the kitchen improves without draining the operating account.
Deposits, permits, construction, and FF&E come due months before opening night. A term loan with a fixed payment schedule carries the project to first covers.
Bridge January and February on the strength of a documented busy season, so slow months don't force cuts to staff or hours.
Keep the kitchen and front-of-house staffed through a soft opening, a menu relaunch, or a slow shoulder season while covers build.
Stock up ahead of peak season, cover a large catering outlay, or take a supplier's early-pay terms when the math works in your favor.
| Your situation | The fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A walk-in or hood system just failed mid-week | Working Capital | $5K–$2M funded fast, with terms sized to the repair rather than a decade of debt |
| Invoice in hand for new or used kitchen equipment | Equipment Financing | $10K–$5M over 2–5 years; the equipment is the collateral, and the invoice is usually enough to start |
| Planning a build-out or second-location construction | Business Loan | A lump sum with a fixed payment schedule over 4–36 months, matched to your opening timeline |
| Covers swing hard with the season | Business Line of Credit | Draw in the slow months, repay in the strong ones, and pay only on what you use |
| Strong delivery and card revenue, want a self-serve start | Swell | Coast's online revenue advance — start the process yourself and draw against the revenue you already generate |
A Thai and sushi restaurant in the Midwest, doing roughly $650K a year, lost its meat slicer just weeks before relocating to a bigger space. An automated scorecard had already declined it — so a Coast underwriter picked it up and looked at the actual business. Coast funded $10,500 on an 11-month term the next day. The slicer was replaced, the move stayed on schedule, and the owner's takeaway stuck with us: a human looked at the business.
A Northern California food truck operation doing roughly $700–800K a year had just bought the lot its truck parked on. Coast structured $85,000 over 12 months to build out seating and a permanent kitchen. The goal wasn't just growth — it was smoothing a seasonal swing that ran from about $70K in peak months down to $40K in slow ones. A permanent kitchen meant year-round covers instead of weather-dependent lines.
Coast's minimums are a floor, not a ceiling — most funded restaurants clear them comfortably.
Close on one of these? Apply anyway — your advisor reviews the whole business, not just a scorecard.
Yes. Coast's restaurant equipment financing covers new and used equipment — ovens, refrigeration, hood systems, dish machines — whether it comes from a dealer, a restaurant supply house, or a closing restaurant's auction. The equipment itself serves as collateral, terms run two to five years with fixed monthly payments, and if you already have an invoice or quote in hand, that's usually enough to get started.
Most restaurants see a decision the same day they apply, and Coast has funded restaurant deals the day after application. Speed depends mostly on how quickly you can provide basic documentation like bank statements. When equipment is down or a lease deadline is looming, tell your advisor the date you need it by. Closing documents signed by 11 AM PT can fund the same business day.
No — seasonality is expected, not penalized. Underwriting looks at a full year of revenue, so a strong summer and a slow January read as a normal restaurant pattern rather than instability. Payment schedules can be structured with the season in mind, and many operators use a line of credit precisely so they can draw in slow months and repay during peaks.
No hard credit pull is required to apply or to see your options. Coast uses a soft inquiry for qualification, which doesn't affect your personal credit score. A hard inquiry applies only to certain traditional products — larger equipment deals and SBA loans — and then only with your consent, after an approval you have chosen to move forward with. You can find out exactly what your restaurant qualifies for without putting your credit on the line.
Yes — build-outs are among the most common uses Coast sees from restaurants. A term loan provides a lump sum on a fixed payment schedule for construction, permits, deposits, and FF&E, while equipment financing can carry the kitchen package separately on longer terms. Your advisor can structure the two together so the payment fits your projected covers, not just your current ones.
A bank decline often says more about the bank's category rules than about your restaurant. Many banks treat food service as high-risk by default, regardless of the operator. Coast underwrites revenue and the actual business — one funded client was declined by an automated scorecard before a Coast underwriter reviewed the business and funded it the next day.
Yes. Coast has funded food truck operations, including an $85,000 build-out that turned a truck's lot into a permanent kitchen. Caterers, ghost kitchens, and other non-traditional formats qualify on the same basis as any restaurant: a year in business, $100K or more in annual revenue, a business bank account, and a minimum 600+ FICO.
$10K–$5M for kitchen and restaurant equipment, new or used, over 2–5 years — the equipment is the collateral.
$5K–$2M to bridge slow seasons, cover urgent repairs, or carry payroll while covers build.
$10K–$1M in lump-sum capital with a fixed payment schedule — built for build-outs and expansions.
A dedicated Business Funding Advisor can structure capital around how your business actually operates. No hard credit pull to apply.
*Closing documents must be completed by 11 AM PT Monday through Friday to receive funds the same business day. Weekend approvals will be processed the following business day.
Client examples reflect actual funded transactions with identifying details removed; individual results vary and are subject to underwriting approval.
Certain programs may be made available or arranged pursuant to California Financing Law License No. 60DBO-146720.