Short answer
Merchant Fund Express funds existing dessert and bakery franchise owners, ice cream, frozen treats, cookies, pretzels and cinnamon rolls, with business loans, merchant cash advances, revenue-based financing, lines of credit, equipment financing and working capital from $5,000 to $5,000,000. Typical needs are ovens and mixers, freezers and dipping cabinets, holiday and summer inventory, mall-kiosk refreshes and seasonal payroll. A complete file usually gets a decision in 2–4 hours.
What dessert owners need funded
Ovens and mixers
Bakery-format brands run commercial ovens, proofers and mixers that are costly to replace.
Freezers and dipping cabinets
Ice cream and frozen treats depend on cold that never fails. See refrigeration.
Holiday and summer stock
Gift boxes, seasonal flavors and packaging bought weeks before the rush; see inventory.
Mall and kiosk refreshes
Food-court and kiosk units get refresh requirements from landlords and franchisors alike.
The quick decision table
| Need | Fits | Why |
|---|---|---|
| New deck oven or mixer | Equipment financing | The equipment anchors the funding |
| Dipping cabinet dies in June | Merchant cash advance | Fast cash, repaid as a share of deposits |
| Holiday packaging and ingredients | Working capital | One-time, repaid from holiday sales |
| Ice cream winter or cookie summer lull | Revenue-based financing | Payments track revenue |
| Extra crew for the holidays | Business line of credit | Draw for the weeks you need |
| Kiosk or store refresh | Franchise business loans | Lump sum on set payments |
How dessert deposits read
Desserts are the most seasonal food franchises we see. Ice cream peaks in summer. Cookies, pretzels and cinnamon rolls can surge in holiday and mall-traffic months. Weekly product drops and limited flavors can create spikes inside a month. None of this is a problem; it just needs context.
On the application, name your peak season and any big event weeks. A reviewer reads three months of deposits, subtracts what already goes out for supplies and existing funding, and sizes a payment your slow weeks can carry. If your swings are big, the seasonal cash flow page shows how owners structure around them.
Hypothetical example, not a past deal: a cookie-store owner wants packaging and ingredients for the holiday season plus a second oven. The oven goes on equipment financing; the holiday stock on working capital repaid from December sales.
Dessert and bakery brands we fund
Owners of these brands apply the same way: Auntie Anne's, Baskin-Robbins, Cinnabon, Cold Stone Creamery, Crumbl.
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.
Drinks-first sweet brands, see smoothies and juice or coffee and beverages.
Timing your request around the season
Dessert owners get the most out of funding when they ask before the rush, not during it. Holiday packaging, seasonal flavors and extra crew all cost money weeks before the sales arrive. Applying early means the cash is in the account when the orders go out.
- Six to eight weeks before peakApply for inventory and payroll money. A decision usually comes back within hours on a complete file.
- Before equipment failsIf a freezer or oven is limping, attach the replacement quote now instead of waiting for it to die in July.
- After peakIf an advance is already on the books, look at lowering the payment once the season's deposits show the store's real strength.
Brands with weekly product drops or limited-time flavors also see spikes inside a month. One line of context on the application is all it takes.
Already carrying an advance from last season? Disclose it on the application. Existing positions are considered rather than treated as an automatic decline, and the review still runs on the store's own deposits. Sole proprietors, Spanish-speaking owners and ITIN applicants apply the same way, with no tax returns needed to start.
What to send
No tax returns to apply. 500+ FICO accepted. Same-day funding available on approved files. Sole proprietors and ITIN applicants welcome.
Owner questions, answered
Can an ice cream franchise owner fund a new dipping cabinet?
Yes. Freezers and dipping cabinets at an operating store are equipment Merchant Fund Express funds.
Can a cookie or bakery franchise get holiday inventory funding?
Yes. Working capital covers seasonal ingredients and packaging, sized to deposits.
My kiosk is in a mall. Does that matter?
No. The kiosk's own deposits are what count.
How fast will I hear back?
Usually 2–4 hours on a complete file. Most files go from application to funds in under 72 hours.
Can you fund a new dessert franchise?
No. Merchant Fund Express funds operating locations, not openings.
Are you affiliated with any dessert or bakery franchise?
No. Merchant Fund Express is independent. Brand names only identify the owners a page is written for.
Keep going
Merchant Fund Express is a separate company with no franchisor ties. Terms depend on the business's revenue and history.