SBA 7(a) & 504 Restaurant Loans in North Carolina
SBA loans are the right answer when you’re making one of the bigger moves a restaurant owner makes: buying an existing restaurant, opening a franchise, funding a serious build-out, or purchasing the building you’ve been renting for a decade. They’re long-term, lower-rate, and structured so you can grow without strangling cash flow.
We help you figure out which program fits, build the document package the lender actually wants to see, and place the deal with an SBA lender who funds restaurant projects in North Carolina. SBA is the long-term end of our restaurant financing for North Carolina operators — pair it with faster equipment or working-capital products when the project calls for it.
SBA 7(a) — The General-Purpose Restaurant Loan
The 7(a) program is the workhorse. Use it for restaurant acquisition (a big share of our SBA volume), franchise buy-in, working capital, equipment, debt refinance, or a combination. Amortizations stretch up to 10 years on equipment and 25 years on real estate — much longer than conventional or alternative financing.
A 10% equity injection is the typical starting point. Strong personal credit, industry experience, and a believable cash-flow projection get the lender across the line.
SBA 504 — Restaurant Real Estate
If you’re buying the building, 504 is usually the better answer. A CDC and a bank partner on the deal: 50% from the bank, 40% from the CDC at a fixed below-market rate, and 10% from you. That below-market 40% is the structural advantage — fixed for 25 years and not subject to a future rate reset.
We line up the CDC, the bank, and the file so the deal closes without a relay race between three lenders.
What You’ll Need
SBA documentation is heavy. We give you the full checklist on day one so nothing gets dropped:
- Personal financial statement (every guarantor over 20%)
- Two to three years of personal and business tax returns
- Business plan with use of funds
- Cash-flow projections — first two years monthly, three years annual
- Franchise Disclosure Document (for franchise deals)
- Asset purchase agreement or letter of intent (for acquisition)
- Resume demonstrating industry experience
When SBA Isn’t the Right Fit
SBA is slow by design — 30 to 60 days minimum. If you need money this week, working capital is the right product. If you need a single piece of equipment, equipment financing closes faster with less paperwork.
We’ll tell you which fits before you commit.