Short answer
Merchant Fund Express funds existing burger and drive-thru franchise owners with business loans, merchant cash advances, revenue-based financing, lines of credit, equipment financing and working capital from $5,000 to $5,000,000. Owners use it for grills, fryers and shake machines, drive-thru headsets and order boards, crew payroll, beef cost spikes and franchisor-required reimage work. A complete file, three months of statements and owner ID, usually gets a decision in 2–4 hours.
What burger owners call about
Grills, fryers and shake machines
High-heat equipment wears out fast under drive-thru volume. When it fails at lunch, every minute costs sales.
Drive-thru tech
Order-confirmation boards, headsets, timers and the POS upgrades franchisors keep rolling out.
Crew payroll
Long hours and large crews. Payroll lands every week or two no matter how the weather treated sales.
Reimage and refresh
Franchisor-required updates to the dining room, signage and exterior. See remodel funding.
Pick the right tool for the job
| Need | Fits | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| New fryer bank or flat-top grill | Equipment financing | The equipment anchors the funding |
| Drive-thru board and headset replacement | Equipment financing | Send the vendor quote with model numbers |
| Reimage with a franchisor deadline | Franchise business loans | Larger lump sum on a set schedule |
| Payroll before card batches settle | Business line of credit | Draw for the gap, then draw again next cycle |
| Beef and supply price spike | Working capital | One-time cushion repaid from sales |
| Cash fast, payment tied to deposits | Merchant cash advance | Percentage of daily or weekly deposits |
| Winter slowdown in a northern market | Revenue-based financing | Payments move with revenue |
How a drive-thru store's deposits read
Burger units tend to deposit every day, often in large card batches, with lunch and late-night windows driving the week. That steady daily rhythm is exactly what a fast review reads well. The reviewer totals three months of deposits, subtracts what already goes out (royalties, advertising contributions, existing equipment or funding payments) and sizes a payment the slowest normal week can carry.
Multi-unit burger operators often run each store under its own LLC. Apply under the entity that owns the store that needs the money, or read the separate LLCs page if the money is for several stores.
Hypothetical example, not a past deal: an owner has a reimage letter with a six-month deadline and a fryer that keeps tripping. The fryer goes on equipment financing; the finish work goes on a business loan sized to the store's deposits. Two payments, each matched to what it bought.
Burger and drive-thru brands we fund
Owners of these brands apply the same way: Burger King, Carl's Jr., Checkers, Culver's, Dairy Queen, Freddy's, Hardee's, Jack in the Box, McDonald's, Rally's, Sonic, Wendy's.
Running a brand that is not named here? Put the brand on the application. Merchant Fund Express funds the location on its own deposits, whatever the logo over the door.
Burgers are one slice of the wider quick-service sector. Chicken-forward drive-thrus, see chicken and wings.
Three things that slow a drive-thru file, and the fix
- Missing store-level statementsMulti-unit operators sometimes send the holding company's account. Send the account that receives the store's own card batches.
- Undisclosed equipment paymentsOrder-board and fryer leases show on statements anyway. List them up front and the payment gets sized right the first time.
- No quote attachedAn equipment request without a vendor quote waits for one. Attach it and the decision moves the same day.
Fix those three and a burger file is one of the fastest reads in franchise food: daily deposits, a clear need and a clean list of what already goes out. That is how owners get a same-day answer.
What to send
No tax returns to apply. 500+ FICO accepted. Same-day funding is available on approved files; funding often arrives the next business day. Spanish-speaking support and ITIN applicants accepted.
Owner questions, answered
Can a burger franchise owner fund a reimage?
Yes. Merchant Fund Express funds reimage and refresh work at operating stores, often splitting equipment from finish work.
How fast can a drive-thru owner get a decision?
Usually 2–4 hours on a complete file. Most files go from application to funds in under 72 hours.
Can I finance drive-thru headsets and order boards?
Yes. Drive-thru technology is equipment; send the quote.
I own several burger stores under different LLCs. How do I apply?
Apply under the entity that owns the store that needs funding. Each LLC's deposits support its own file.
Do you fund new burger store construction?
No. Merchant Fund Express funds open, operating locations, not new builds or real estate.
Are you affiliated with any burger franchise?
No. Merchant Fund Express is independent and has no franchisor ties.
Keep going
Merchant Fund Express is a separate company with no franchisor ties. Terms depend on the business's revenue and history.