Refer a client

For equipment and POS vendors

The full order, Funded. Your invoice, paid.

Refer a clientHow a referral works
An equipment rep grins at the chef's counter as the first orders go out on opening night

Equipment and point of sale are exactly what the government-backed Canada Small Business Financing Program (CSBFP) was built to finance. The loan comes from a bank or credit union. We don't lend. We build your client's file, take it to the right lender, and manage the draws.

Start with one client.If the file goes the way it should, send us the next one.

Banks and credit unions we work with

  • RBC
  • TD
  • BMO
  • Scotiabank
  • CIBC
  • National Bank of Canada
  • Desjardins
  • Meridian
  • BDC

What the lender needs from your quote

Your quote starts the file.

The loan is sized on your quote and paid out against your invoice. A few details decide whether either one can be used.

  1. Sell the kitchen they need

    With financing lined up, clients stop trimming the order to fit their savings.

  2. Your HST number on every quote

    Lenders size the loan on quotes, and every quote needs your GST/HST number on it. Clear line items make the budget easy to check.

  3. Invoices, not sales orders

    Draws are released against invoices and proof of payment. A sales order or an order confirmation is not an invoice for a draw, and invoices should be made out to the operating company, not the owner personally.

  4. New, used or already paid for

    The program can finance new or used equipment, from ovens and fryers to bar fridges and point of sale. Equipment paid for within 365 days before the loan is approved can often still be financed.

How a referral works

Point us at one client.

Send one. Judge us on the file.

What we will not do
Promise approval. That is the lender's call. Quote a timeline before we see the file. Go around you to your client.
What you can count on
A straight answer on the first call. A complete file for every client we take on. We don't contact your client until you say so.

  1. You point us at a client

    Their name and a line about the order. We do not reach out to them until you give us the go-ahead.

  2. We talk to them first

    On the first call we tell them if the deal can work and which lender fits. If it can't, we say so then, so nobody wastes time.

  3. They engage us directly

    Your client hires us and pays our fees. Our shared success compensation is only paid when they are funded. Where the lender allows it, both can come out of the loan.

  4. We build the file and see it through

    We write the plan, build the budget from real quotes, pick the lender and submit. After approval we manage the payouts until the money is in their account.

Refer a clientBook a call with Adam

Brands we've worked with

Funded

Files we took all the way through.

Every application we've submitted has been funded. Over $10 million so far, and about 100 hours saved for each client.

Funded

TorontoTD

Toronto restaurant

A Toronto restaurant, funded with TD. We built the plan, the numbers and every document, and saw it through to funding.

Funded

Burlington, OntarioAsset purchase

Buying an existing restaurant

An asset purchase rather than a build, which means an appraisal, an inherited lease, and two years of the seller's statements and returns. Financed through a credit union.

Funded

OntarioCSBFP

Independent restaurant

Every document, the plan and the forecast, taken to Meridian and through three rounds of questions to approval.

Funded

OntarioCSBFP

Bar build

A ground-up bar, financed on projections rather than history, because there was no trading history for the location to lean on.

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On Instagram

Follow the funding.

@restaurantfinancingcanada
A chef plating a dish in a dimly lit kitchen

What each client gets

One package. About 100 hours of your client's time back.

  1. Written business plan, built for the bank rather than for a pitch
  2. Three-year financial forecast, with every assumption visible
  3. Executive summary in the language lenders use
  4. Market and competitor research for the restaurant's trade area
  5. A clear breakdown of where the money goes
  6. A check of which costs the program covers
  7. All your documents, gathered and followed up
  8. Lender match, and the submission itself
  9. We deal with the bank directly through to funding
  10. Changes until the bank has what it needs
Refer a client
Adam Gilbert

Who you deal with

I speak restaurant. I speak bank.

Hi, I'm Adam Gilbert. I've spent my career in the restaurant business, on the finance and marketing side. That includes senior marketing and finance roles at one of Canada's best known restaurant groups, through its sale to the country's largest full-service operator.

I run Sweet Sauce Hospitality Partners, and I am building my own restaurant concepts, so I am not advising from the sidelines. I know what a build really costs, and what the bank will ask before it asks.

A good business plan tells your story, then backs it up with numbers. It has to make the bank believe in your restaurant, and then prove it.

Let's get your clients funded.

Questions

Questions from vendors.

Straight answers to what equipment and POS vendors ask first, starting with what a quote needs.

Refer a client
Do you lend the money?

No. The loan comes from a bank or credit union, through the Canada Small Business Financing Program, a Government of Canada program. The government guarantees a large share of the loan for the lender. We are a brokerage: we build the application, take it to the right lender and see it through to funding.

How much can my client borrow?

Most restaurant owners we work with qualify for between $200,000 and $500,000. The program limit is $500,000 for leasehold improvements, equipment and intangibles such as franchise fees, including up to $150,000 of working capital. If they are buying the building too, the limit is higher.

What should our quote and invoice include?

Enough for a lender to match it to the capex schedule, and later to pay against it.

  • Your GST/HST number, on every quote and invoice
  • Clear line items the lender can match to the budget
  • The operating company as the customer, not the owner personally
  • An invoice at delivery, since a sales order or order confirmation does not count for a draw
Can used equipment be financed?

Yes. A CSBFP term loan can finance new or used equipment, as well as leasehold improvements and intangible assets.

Who is the client, me or the operator?

The operator you introduce. They engage us directly, the loan is theirs, and so are our fees: a project launch investment to start and shared success compensation that is only paid when they are funded. What they share with us about their finances is kept confidential, as it would be with any client.

Will you contact my client without asking me?

No. When you tell us about someone, we do not reach out until you give us the go-ahead. The introduction is yours to make.

What happens if my client is not a fit?

We tell them on the first call rather than taking their time or yours. Some things stop a file through this program, like personal taxes that have not been filed, and some need fixing first, like a lease too short to carry the loan. We would rather find them early than in front of the lender. Where a file can go ahead, the credit decision still belongs to the lender. Nobody can promise approval, and we do not.

Where do you work?

Across Canada. The CSBFP is a federal program and we work remotely, so where you are does not matter. We are based in Toronto and work with owners in the Greater Toronto Area, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa and Quebec City. Montreal, Ottawa and Quebec City are handled in French or English.