Financing a franchise business

When you decide to start a restaurant franchise business, you'll typically either inherit equipment from the outgoing franchisee; or, if you're starting from scratch, you'll get a detailed equipment list from the franchisor which you'll need to purchase.

If you inherit your equipment from the outgoing franchisee, it's important that you check it's all in pristine working order before you acquire it. If there are items that need to be replaced or upgraded, SilverChef can help you with flexible equipment finance options for those items.

You can also bring down the overall cost of upgrading or replacing equipment, using SilverChef's Certified Used range. This is quality brand name equipment at lower prices – and often only 12 to 18 months old. It comes with a warranty and is available for immediate delivery. Learn more about Certified Used.

If you're equipping your franchise restaurant from scratch, you're looking at a significant investment. As a franchisee, a lot of the guesswork is taken out for you; but equipping your kitchen or refurbishing your venue will come at a price. SilverChef's Lease-to-Keep and Rent-Try-Buy finance options can help you manage your cashflow while getting the franchise equipment you need from the outset.

On top of this, we have a qualified team of franchise equipment financing experts who can advise and support you as you set up your restaurant franchise. We understand restaurant franchise equipment and we're happy to help.

Restaurant franchise financing doesn't have to be complicated. Financing your equipment through SilverChef can be a smart choice. We'll help alleviate the financial strain by taking the cost of your commercial kitchen equipment, and your refurbishment, off the initial capital outlay.

Low regular payments help to keep your cashflow healthy. Contact us and talk to one of our qualified franchise specialists about which of our finance options would work best for your situation.

As the renter or lessee of the franchise equipment, you are responsible for properly insuring it, and arranging and paying for all servicing and maintenance on the equipment. If the equipment breaks down this is a manufacturer warranty issue and you will need to contact the manufacturer to arrange repair or replacement as per their terms and conditions.

Renting your restaurant franchise equipment can be a good alternative to buying outright for a number of reasons. Firstly, there are a lot of costs involved in setting up and running a restaurant franchise, so choosing to rent your commercial kitchen equipment can leave you more money for running your business and other expenses.

Secondly, there may be tax benefits to renting franchise equipment – it’s important you discuss these with a qualified tax advisor before making any decisions.

Finally, with SilverChef’s Rent-Try-Buy you get additional flexibility over typical restaurant franchise financing options. You can decide to upgrade your franchise equipment in the first 12 months if you need something bigger and better (in the same equipment category e.g. upgrade rented fridge to a bigger fridge); you can also decide to purchase it and get a 60% net rental rebate on your payments so far (up to 12 months).

At the end of your 12-month contract, you can decide whether to keep renting your franchise equipment, work towards ownership, or return. Please note that if you decide to purchase your franchise equipment after the end of your 12-month term, the net rental rebate drops to 25% after 12 months.

Franchise financing can seem complicated but the difference here is actually pretty straightforward. The difference between a rental and a lease has to do with the length of term – with the length of a lease typically being longer.

SilverChef offers an equipment rental product, Rent-Try-Buy, and a finance lease product – Lease-to-Keep. They are different in several important ways.

With Rent-Try-Buy, you rent your franchise's commercial kitchen equipment and make weekly rental payments for a 12-month term, while retaining the option to purchase your franchise equipment or upgrade it during the term.

At the end of the 12-month rental term, you have the additional options to return, continue renting or work towards ownership with our Easy Own® product.

With Lease-to-Keep you sign up for a four-year term – for financing commercial kitchen equipment; or a five-year term – for financing refurbishments. You make monthly lease payments and at the end of the term you own your franchise equipment*.

*providing the last payment has been made and customer is not in breach of the agreement.

With Lease-to-Keep, you don't have the option to return or upgrade your equipment – it's a straightforward lease product where you are working towards owning your equipment from the beginning. Learn more about Lease-to-Keep.

With Rent-Try-Buy, you do have the option to return your equipment after your initial 12-month term. So, it's ideal if you want to test out how the equipment works in your business, before committing to it.

However, it’s a good idea to be sure that you’re happy to rent your chosen franchise equipment for the full 12-month contract (with the option to upgrade or purchase during the term). This is because, if you decide to return your rented franchise equipment before the end of the term, you will still be required to pay all the unpaid rental payments up to the end of contract term. Learn more about Rent-Try-Buy.