Close · Multi-Unit Restaurants

SBA Financing Counsel for Multi-Unit Restaurants Acquisitions

Structuring SBA Financing on multi-unit restaurants deals, with the structure protection and capital connectivity an independent sponsor actually needs.

EV range $8M to $80M EV EBITDA $2M to $14M Audience Independent Sponsor
The deal context

SBA Financing on multi-unit restaurants deals is one of those workstreams that looks routine on a checklist and decides outcomes in practice.

The typical multi-unit restaurants platform sits at $8M to $80M EV with EBITDA in the $2M to $14M range. The thesis runs on franchisee roll-up or regional concept acquisition. The franchisor consent letter is the deal. Get it lined up before you spend money on diligence.

The moves

How SBA Financing actually gets structured.

  1. Confirm eligibility against SBA size standards before signing the LOI.

  2. Structure personal guarantees with care; SBA lenders require them but they can be narrowed.

  3. Plan the seller note as on-standby debt, supporting the SBA loan covenant package.

  4. Time the SBA approval process into the closing schedule; allow 90 days from full application.

  5. In multi-unit restaurants, layer in franchisor LOI letter requested before market as part of the SBA Financing workstream.

The common mistake

Promising the seller an SBA-funded close in 60 days. SBA does not move at LOI speed.

Jason's take
"SBA debt is the cheapest money in the independent sponsor market. The trade is paperwork and time."
Jason Powell · SBA Financing
Capital after close

The deal is one thing. The capital that opens up after close is another.

The capital that opens up post-close, from refinancing to growth equity to strategic exit, runs through a small set of Wall Street relationships. That network is built in.

MONTH 18
Senior refi
MONTH 24
Dividend recap
MONTH 36
Growth equity
YEAR 4–5
Strategic exit
TALK TO JASON

An LOI on the desk, a multi-unit restaurants target, and a SBA Financing question worth a real conversation.

Twenty minutes of practitioner-grade input from a securities attorney whose first move is to read the deal, not the engagement letter.