Restaurant business plans that hold up in credit review
Restaurants get more SBA loans than any other industry, and lenders have seen every optimistic pro forma there is. We build your plan around the numbers a credit officer checks first: covers, average check, prime cost and rent.
Written by a former underwriter who approved restaurant loans for 10 years.
- SBA 7(a)
- SBA 504
- 36-month projections
- Written assumptions
- DSCR
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What a lender checks on a restaurants loan
Your plan answers these before the credit officer has to ask.
Prime cost
Food, beverage and labor together as a share of sales. Lenders want to see it, and they want to see how you'll control it.
Occupancy cost
Rent and CAM as a share of projected sales, and whether the lease term (with options) lines up with the loan term.
Build-out budget
Construction and FF&E costs backed by real quotes, with a contingency line, so the loan isn't short on opening day.
Operator experience
Your time running a kitchen or a front of house, ideally in a concept like the one you're opening.
Realistic ramp-up
A first-year sales build that grows month by month instead of starting at full volume.
Acquisition history
For a purchase, the seller's tax returns, documented add-backs and what changes under your ownership.
Numbers your plan will show
Every figure comes with a written assumption, across 36 months of P&L, balance sheet and cash flow.
- Covers per day by daypart
- Average check
- Food & beverage cost %
- Labor cost %
- Prime cost %
- Rent-to-sales ratio
- Break-even covers
- DSCR by year
Plans for every kind of request
Startups, acquisitions, expansions and property purchases, for SBA 7(a), SBA 504 and conventional bank loans.
- SBA 7(a) startup
- Restaurant acquisition
- Franchise location
- Second location
- Building purchase (504)
- Equipment & renovation
Common questions
Can I get an SBA loan to open my first restaurant?
Yes. Startups are eligible, but lenders weigh your hands-on restaurant experience heavily and require an equity injection. A plan that shows a realistic ramp-up and puts your experience front and center makes the strongest case.
Do you write plans for franchise restaurants?
Yes. We build the projections from the franchisor's disclosure documents, including Item 19 financial data when the FDD provides it, and adjust them for your location and lease.
How do you project sales for a restaurant that isn't open yet?
From seats, table turns and covers by daypart multiplied by average check, then checked against comparable concepts and local market data. Every assumption is written out so your lender can follow it.
SBA business plans for any industry
Ready to put your loan request in front of a lender?
Name, email and phone. That's all it takes to get started.