Short answer
Merchant Fund Express funds existing chicken and wing 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. The usual needs: fryers and filtration, hood and fire-suppression work, walk-in refrigeration, bone-in wing cost swings and game-day payroll. Three months of business bank statements plus owner ID gets you a decision, usually in 2–4 hours.
The four pressures in a chicken kitchen
Fryers and filtration
Pressure fryers and open fryers work all day. Oil filtration and replacements are recurring capital costs.
Hoods and fire suppression
Ventilation and suppression systems need service and replacement on a schedule you do not control.
Chicken cost
Wing and breast prices move with the market. Buying ahead can protect margin if you have the cash.
Game-day staffing
Big sports weekends double order volume. Extra crew gets paid before the weekend revenue clears.
Need to funding, at a glance
| You need to… | Look at | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Replace a fryer bank | Equipment financing | The fryers anchor the deal |
| Add walk-in space for bulk chicken | Refrigeration funding | Equipment or working capital, by the quote |
| Buy chicken ahead of a price jump | Inventory funding | Short-term, repaid as product sells |
| Staff up for playoffs | Business line of credit | Draw for the weeks you need it |
| Fast cash after a hood failure | Merchant cash advance | Repaid as a share of deposits |
| Sales swing with the sports calendar | Revenue-based financing | Payments track revenue |
| Bigger upgrade with a fixed schedule | Franchise business loans | One lump sum, set payments |
What a reviewer sees in a wing store
Wing stores live and die by the calendar. Deposits often jump around football Sundays, March basketball and big fight nights, then settle. That pattern is normal and reads fine; it is also why many owners choose payments that move with revenue. The reviewer looks at three months of deposits, the share coming through delivery apps and online ordering, and what already goes out for supplies and any existing funding.
Tip: if a heavy sports month sits inside your three months, say so on the application. Context makes a lumpy deposit pattern read faster.
Hypothetical example, not a past deal: a wing-store owner needs a second fryer and wants to buy wings ahead of the season. The fryer goes on equipment financing; the chicken purchase on a small working capital amount repaid as the product sells.
Chicken and wing brands we fund
Brand pages live now: Wingstop.
Owners of these brands apply the same way: Bojangles, Buffalo Wild Wings, Chicken Salad Chick, Church's Texas Chicken, Golden Chick, KFC, Popeyes, Slim Chickens, Zaxby'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.
Chicken sits inside the wider quick-service sector. Many owners also run pizza or burger units; each store is funded on its own entity's deposits.
Equipment or working capital? Decide in one minute
Chicken owners often ask whether a hood repair or a fryer swap should go on equipment financing or working capital. The quick rule: if you can attach a vendor quote for a piece of equipment with a serial number, equipment financing is usually the cleaner fit. If the cost is labor, service calls, product or a mix of small items, working capital or a line is simpler.
When the need is urgent, a fryer down on a Friday or a walk-in warming up, owners who want the fastest money pick a merchant cash advance, repaid as a share of deposits. When the store has a known seasonal rhythm, revenue-based financing keeps payments in step. The full side-by-side is on the equipment vs working capital page. Either way, Merchant Fund Express reads one application and matches the need to the structure, so you do not have to pick before you apply.
What to send
- Apply in 4 minutesBrand, store, amount and what it is for.
- UploadThree months of business bank statements and ID for each owner.
- DecisionUsually 2–4 hours on a complete file; same-day funding available.
Owner questions, answered
Can a chicken franchise owner finance new fryers?
Yes. Fryers and filtration at an operating store are standard equipment requests for Merchant Fund Express.
Can I fund a hood or fire-suppression replacement?
Yes, as equipment financing or working capital depending on the quote.
My sales spike on game days. Does that hurt my file?
No. Seasonal patterns are normal. Revenue-based financing is built for exactly that kind of swing.
What credit score do I need?
500+ FICO is accepted. The store's deposits carry most of the weight.
Can you fund my first wing store?
No. Merchant Fund Express funds operating locations. Once your store is open and depositing revenue, apply.
Are you affiliated with any chicken or wing franchise?
No. Merchant Fund Express is independent of every franchisor named on this site.
Keep going
Merchant Fund Express is a separate company with no franchisor ties. Terms depend on the business's revenue and history.