Funded
Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant, funded with TD. We built the plan, the numbers and every document, and saw it through to funding.
Buying the building too
Up to $1.15M When you buy the building.
- 100% of submitted files funded
- $10M+ funded to date
Buying the building raises the limit on a loan through the government-backed Canada Small Business Financing Program (CSBFP). You can borrow up to $1,000,000, plus up to $150,000 for day-to-day costs. The building backs the loan, so lenders often find these easier to support. The loan comes from a bank or credit union. We don't lend. We build the application and take it to the right lender. You bring the documents only you can get. We do everything else.
We win when you win.Our shared success compensation is only paid when you're funded.
- 100%of submitted files funded
- $10M+funded to date
- 100hrsabout how much of your time we save per file
- Canada-widebanks and credit unions
Where we take your application
- RBC
- TD
- BMO
- Scotiabank
- CIBC
- National Bank of Canada
- Desjardins
- Meridian
- BDC
What a lender needs when you buy the building
The building backs the loan.
Buying the building changes the limit and what backs the loan. It does not change what the lender wants to know about you.
A higher limit
Up to $1,000,000, plus up to $150,000 for day-to-day costs. Without the building, the limit is $500,000. Tell us early that the building is part of it, so we quote the right number.
The building helps
Lenders like having the property behind the loan. You still have to show the restaurant can make the payments.
The restaurant side still counts
Your build, equipment and day-to-day cash go in the same application, priced from real quotes with the supplier's GST/HST number on each.
A forecast that carries the story
A three-year model built around the property and the restaurant, with every assumption shown so the lender can check it.
Your cash, and your net worth
Lenders usually want 10 to 40% of the project cost in your own cash. Separately, they check your net worth to back your personal guarantee. That can include home equity, not just cash. People mix these up all the time, and it costs them deals.
See if you pre-qualify
Buying a restaurant without the building? See purchase financing.
How it works
From first call to funded.
Seven steps. You are only asked for the things only you can provide. Everything else is ours.
- Yours
- Bank statements, tax returns, the lease, quotes and invoices. The documents only you can get.
- Ours
- Everything else on this page. The plan, the numbers, the budget, choosing the bank, applying, the back and forth, and getting the money paid out.
- 01
Check if you qualify and pick the right bank
First, we find out whether you are a strong candidate and what the best route is. We ask the lenders we know what they are funding right now and look for the best terms for your goals. If we do not see a way forward, we tell you on that first call rather than taking your time.
- 02
We check everything first
We gather your documents and look for problems before the bank does. Some things are an instant no under this program, and we would rather find them early than in front of a lender.
- Personal and corporate tax returns
- Your credit report, and what a lender will read into it
- Your net worth, and the cash you are putting in
- Your lease, its length, and any clause that lets the landlord end it early
- Competitors and comparable restaurants
- Your restaurant experience and the team around you
- 03
The business plan
A written plan that tells your story the way a bank reads it, delivered as a designed, password-protected web page the lender can open on their phone. It covers:
- Executive summary
- Company overview
- Management team
- Products and services
- Market opportunity
- Marketing and sales strategy
- Operations plan
- Financial projections and debt servicing
- Use of funds
- Why this works
- Appendices
- 04
The financial model
A three-year forecast in Excel, built the way a restaurant CFO would build it, with every assumption visible so the bank can check it. It covers:
- Assumptions
- Revenue build
- P&L, three-year forecast
- Break-even analysis
- Sensitivity analysis
- Monthly cash flow projections
- Projected balance sheet
- Rent schedule
- Loan amortization schedule
- Full capex schedule
- 05
Lender match and submission
We work with your own bank, or match you to the lender that lends to restaurants and fits your profile. Lenders change what they will do all the time, so the match matters as much as the application. Then the whole package goes in at once: plan, forecast, budget, quotes, invoices and every supporting document, in one organized online folder the lender can move through quickly.
- 06
Approved
Approval is the lender's decision and nobody can promise it. What we control is a complete application in front of the right lender, which is why every one we have submitted so far has been approved and funded.
- 07
Funded, and the money in your account
Approval is not cash yet. The bank pays the loan out in stages, and each payment needs the right invoices and proof of payment. We manage the payout for you and prepare all of it, so each payment moves quickly.
Brands we've worked with
- Recipe Unlimited
- Happy Belly Food Group
- Rosie's Burgers
- Heal Wellness
- The Pickle Barrel
- Texas Roadhouse
- Sunnyside Grill
- Hibachi Teppanyaki
- Florette
- Marigolds & Onions
- SweetChops
- OMG Real Estate
- Joey Cutlets
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
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
Independent restaurant
Every document, the plan and the forecast, taken to Meridian and through three rounds of questions to approval.
Funded
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.
What it costs
What's the investment?
One small investment to start. The rest only when you're funded.
To start, there is a project launch investment. It covers the early work. The amount depends on your project and on how many owners are applying, so we quote it once we've seen your deal.
Once you're approved and funded, there's shared success compensation. It scales with the funding you receive. Both are small next to the loan, and worth it. We walk through all of it before we begin.
The good news: where the lender allows it, both can be included in your loan.
We also help you negotiate the best terms and value with your lender. Think of us as your partner in getting funded, and in getting a better deal.
No surprises. We explain every term before you sign.
See if you pre-qualify
We win when you win.Our shared success compensation is only paid when you're funded.
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 yours funded.
Questions
Property financing FAQs.
Straight answers. Including the ones where the honest answer is that it depends on your lender.
See if you pre-qualifyDo 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 I borrow when I buy the building?
Up to $1,000,000 in term financing, plus a working capital line of up to $150,000, for a limit of $1.15 million. Without the building the limit is $500,000. What you actually qualify for depends on the project, your equity and the lender.
Why is buying the building often easier to finance?
Because the building backs the loan. The lender still looks at you, the plan and the numbers, but the building makes the loan easier to support.
What is the Canada Small Business Financing Program?
The Canada Small Business Financing Program (CSBFP) is a federal program that helps small businesses borrow through banks and credit unions. The government guarantees a large share of the loan for the lender. That guarantee is what makes restaurant lending workable for a bank. To qualify you must be a for-profit Canadian business with under $10 million in annual revenue.
- The build, such as your kitchen or dining room
- Equipment, from ovens and fryers to point of sale
- Furniture and fixtures
- Franchise fees and working capital
My cash versus my net worth. What is the difference?
Lenders check two separate things, and people mix them up all the time. First, the cash you put into the project, usually 10 to 40% of the cost. Second, your net worth, which backs your personal guarantee. That does not have to be cash: home equity, a car and investments all count. Lenders usually want it to equal about 25% of the loan, not of the whole project. If you have been told you do not have enough cash, it is worth a second look.
How long does it take?
It depends on two things: how fast we get your documents, and how long the lender takes to decide. We can speed up the first. Once we see your project, we will give you an honest timeline for both.
Can you guarantee I will be approved?
No, and be careful of anyone who says otherwise. The decision belongs to the lender. What we control is how complete your application is, and which lender sees it. That is where we focus, and it is why every application we have submitted so far has been funded.
What can the loan be used for?
Most of what it takes to open: the build, kitchen and bar equipment, point of sale, franchise fees, opening inventory and some working capital. If you are buying the building, that too.
- Building out a dining room, bar or prep kitchen
- Kitchen equipment, bar fridges, ovens, point of sale
- Renovations to a leased space
- Franchise fees and opening inventory
- Commercial kitchen or delivery vehicles
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.