"We've only been open five months and every lender says come back in two years"
You built out the space, passed the health inspection, made payroll, and the dining room is filling up. Then you go for working capital and the bank asks for two years of business tax returns. You don't have two years. You have a POS report and a growing pile of deposits.
That's the wall almost every new restaurant hits. Traditional loans and SBA files are built for businesses with a long track record. A restaurant under a year old is invisible to them, no matter how good the food is or how fast sales are ramping.
We look at the opposite thing. Not how long you've been open — how much is actually coming through the door right now. If your merchant and bank deposits show real, consistent sales, that's the track record we underwrite.
How new restaurant funding works here
- 1. Send us your recent deposits. Upload your last few months of business bank statements (and merchant/POS statements if you have them). No two-year tax returns, no business plan, no collateral for working capital.
- 2. We check with a soft pull. Looking at your file does not touch your credit score. FICO 500+ is fine — we're reading deposit volume and consistency far more than the score.
- 3. You get an offer and pick the amount. Approved for working capital sized to your real sales. Funds can hit your account in as little as 24 hours once you're approved and signed.
A real first-year example
A taco spot open 7 months, averaging about $48,000/month in deposits, needed $30K to add a second prep line before summer. No tax returns existed yet. We funded on 6 months of statements — offer out same afternoon, money the next morning.
What we actually need
Roughly 3–6 months of deposits is the honest minimum. Fewer months is harder; more months and steadier sales get you a bigger number. If you opened last week with no deposit history yet, we're not the right fit — come back once a few months are on the books.
Who qualifies
Restaurants, bars, cafes, food trucks, ghost kitchens. Under a year open is fine. FICO 500+ OK. A recent tax lien or past credit trouble doesn't automatically kill it if deposits are strong.
Amounts
Typically $10K–$500K for early-stage working capital, sized to your monthly deposits. As your sales history grows past the first year, larger growth funding opens up.
The honest speed rule
If your signed agreement and statements are in before early afternoon ET on a weekday, funding is usually same day. Get them in Friday afternoon and it's Monday — we won't pretend otherwise. Speed depends on your bank clearing the deposit, not on a slogan.
Straight answers
My restaurant has only been open 4 months. Is that too new?
Not automatically. If those 4 months show steady, real deposits, we can often work with it. Under about 3 months of history is where it gets genuinely hard, and we'll tell you straight rather than string you along.
I don't have business tax returns yet. Does that disqualify me?
No. That's exactly why banks turned you down and why we exist. We underwrite on bank and merchant deposits, not tax returns.
My credit took a hit while I was opening. Can I still get funded?
Probably. FICO 500+ is workable. Opening a restaurant is expensive and credit often suffers doing it — strong deposits carry more weight than the score.
Will checking hurt my credit?
No. The initial check is a soft pull. It does not affect your score, and you can see your offer before committing to anything.
Do I need collateral?
No collateral for working capital. This is funded against your future sales, not your equipment or lease.
How much can a first-year spot actually get?
It's tied to your deposits. A place doing $40K–$50K a month is often looking at somewhere in the $20K–$40K range to start, with more available as your history builds.
Ready when your deposits are
If you've got a few months of real sales and a bank that still won't move, put your statements in front of us instead. It's a soft pull to see your number, and if it's a fit, funding can land in as little as 24 hours.
Apply online — a few months of deposits is all we need to look.
Get Your Restaurant Funded in 24 Hours
Operating restaurants doing $20K+/month qualify for $25K – $1,000,000. Apply in 5 minutes.
Start Your Application →Get funded in 24 hours
Approved on your revenue, not just your credit. Start your 1-minute application.
Why restaurants choose Toast Funding
We are not a generic small-business lender. Toast Funding underwrites restaurants only — and we fund the way you actually operate.
Restaurant-only underwriting
Every concept — full-service, fast-casual, bars, cafés, food trucks, catering, multi-unit. We read restaurant P&Ls, not generic templates.
Funded in 24 hours
Decision in as little as 4 hours, money wired in 24–48. Cover payroll, a broken walk-in, or a second-location window — now.
Approved on your revenue
500+ FICO accepted. We underwrite on your bank deposits and sales, so steady revenue qualifies even after a bank says no.
Ready to get funded?
Built only for restaurants. Approved on your deposits, not just your score. Funded in as little as 24 hours.
- ✓ 500+ credit
- ✓ 6+ months open
- ✓ $25K+/mo revenue
See how much your restaurant qualifies for
$25K–$5M · funded in 24 hours · 500+ credit OK. A soft credit pull that will not affect your score.
START MY 1-MINUTE APPLICATION →No obligation · takes about a minute