RESTAURANT FINANCE

A Wider Use of Private Individual Funding

You know the old adage “How do you make a million dollars in the restaurant industry? You start out with two million.” It may not apply in today’s more thoughtful restaurant business environment, but…

Restaurant Finance Highlights for the Year

The year 2015 was not a terribly monumental 12 months for new financing ideas. Instead, it was an overall dynamic market, a continuation of current trends and an acceleration of competition because of the…

2015 Tax Savings Ideas for Restaurant Owners

Restaurant owners constantly need to evolve their concepts and update their facilities. Owners are aware of this fact and accept this as part of ongoing success. I wish the same could be said about…

A Fresh View of Equipment Leasing Today

Equipment leasing was one of the earliest forms of financing for restaurants, used typically to fund furniture, fixtures, equipment and, at times, leaseholds. I got involved in franchise and restaurant finance in 1980, and…

How Mezzanine Lenders/Investors Approach the Restaurant Industry

This is the last in a series of three articles examining the reasons why lenders and investors like the restaurant industry. The first article was about equity investors, drawing insight from three private equity…

Why Are More Banks Getting Into Restaurant and Franchise Lending?

Last month we discussed why sophisticated investors like to invest in restaurants. This month, with the help of my partner Randy Evans, we are asking the question, “Why are more commercial banks getting into…

Why Sophisticated Investors Invest in the Restaurant Space

I’m often asked why sophisticated investors invest in the restaurant space, so I queried three individuals who all have extensive experience in restaurant investing—Jeff Brock, a long-time veteran financier, now managing partner of Hargett…

Tax Ideas for Real Estate and Business Sales

The Monitor’s focus on real estate this month gives me the opportunity to discuss two tax items: allocation of purchase price and like-kind exchanges. These are sometimes overlooked in real estate transactions even though…

Two Key Franchise Issues: Development Rights and Capital Expenditures

When you review the Top 200 list [Restaurant Finance Monitor‘s annual list of 200 top franchisees], you realize the big influence franchisees have on their franchise systems. Nonetheless, there’s always some tension between franchisor…

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