Asset finance · hospitality and fitout
Build the venue. We'll help finance it.
Restaurant fitouts, café equipment, hotel refurbishments, commercial kitchens. Often blended structure: equipment finance for the hard goods, fitout loans for the soft costs, working capital for the launch period.
What it is, when it fits
Plain English, with the trade-offs.
Hospitality and fitout finance is rarely a single product; it's almost always a blended structure across asset finance and working capital. Hard goods (commercial kitchen equipment, coffee machines, refrigeration, POS, tap systems, walk-in coolers) usually fund through equipment finance secured against the asset itself. Soft costs (paint, fittings, branding, marketing, opening payroll, leasing fees) fund through unsecured working-capital loans because there's no asset to secure against. Most fitouts also need a launch-period working capital buffer to bridge the soft-launch revenue ramp. Pricing varies by component: equipment finance 7% to 13% p.a., working capital 12% to 25% p.a. Total fitout costs run $20K for a small café refit through to $1M+ for a large restaurant or hotel program. Lender appetite varies sharply by venue type (cafés straightforward, restaurants moderate, pubs and licensed venues require specialist programs) and by operator track record.
Restaurant team plating service in a warm-lit dining room.
Typical scenarios
Opening a new restaurant
Why: Greenfield restaurant, $260K total fitout cost.
Outcome: Blended: $180K equipment finance for kitchen and front-of-house, $80K unsecured working capital for soft costs and opening.
Refitting an existing café
Why: 5-year-old café, $90K refit during winter quiet.
Outcome: $70K equipment finance for new equipment, $20K working capital for soft costs.
Hotel room refresh program
Why: 40-room hotel refreshing rooms across 18 months.
Outcome: $340K equipment finance for FF&E, structured drawdown matched to room-by-room rollout.
Commercial kitchen for catering business
Why: Catering business expanding into commissary kitchen.
Outcome: $160K equipment finance, 5-year term, no balloon.
Lenders for this product
Who we work with.
- Pepper Asset Finance
- Angle Finance
- Metro Finance
- Liberty Commercial
- Prospa
- Banjo Loans
Lender accreditation varies; not every lender is available for every deal. We pick from the panel based on your specific situation.
How it works
From brief to settlement.
- 01
Fitout breakdown
We work with you on a hard-goods vs soft-costs breakdown before recommending structure. The split drives the lender mix.
- 02
Blended-facility design
Equipment finance for the equipment, working capital for soft costs, sometimes a launch-period buffer for the early trading weeks.
- 03
Coordinated settlement
We coordinate equipment financier and working-capital lender so settlement timing matches the build schedule.
- 04
Trading review
Once trading, we check the rates against post-opening data; refinance often makes sense at 6 to 12 months once trading history is established.
Indicative pricing & terms
Ranges, not promises.
Rate range
7 to 13% p.a. (equipment); 12 to 25% p.a. (soft costs via working capital)
Loan size
$20K to $1M typical
Term
1 to 5 years (equipment); 6 to 36 months (working capital)
Security
Equipment registered against the asset; working capital usually unsecured
Indicative only; specific pricing depends on lender, security, and your business profile.
Frequently asked
Honest answers, plain English.
Equipment vs fitout vs working capital split?
Hard goods (machinery, fixed equipment) fund as equipment finance secured against the asset. Soft costs (fitout labour, branding, marketing) fund as unsecured working capital. The split changes pricing materially; we model the right blend based on your specific fitout breakdown.
New venue vs existing refit?
New venues without trading history are harder to finance; many lenders require operator track record and pre-opening pre-sales or bookings. Refits of existing trading venues with cashflow history are much easier and price better.
Lessor permission requirements?
Major fitouts in leased premises usually require landlord consent. Lenders sometimes require evidence of consent before settlement on equipment that will be installed in-situ. We coordinate with lessors early to avoid late-stage delays.
Soft cost financing options?
Mostly unsecured business loans (Prospa, Moula, Banjo Loans). Some specialist hospitality lenders offer combined facilities at preferential rates for clients running both with the same lender.
Stage payments to suppliers?
Most equipment finance facilities allow staged drawdown matched to supplier delivery schedules. Working capital tends to draw lump-sum at settlement; we coordinate timing.
Industry-specific lender programs?
Pubs and licensed venues sit in a separate lender pool (some non-banks won't lend on liquor-licensed venues at all). Hotels and accommodation have specific programs from major banks. We engage the right pool based on venue type.
Related products
If this isn't quite the fit.
Next step
Twenty minutes, no obligation.
Tell us the shape of the deal and the timing. We'll send a lender shortlist for hospitality and fitout finance or, if it isn't the right fit, an honest signal of what is.