Franchise Restaurant Business Loans and Equipment Financing in San Bernardino, California

If you need franchise restaurant business loans for a San Bernardino location, start by picking the deal type below: acquisition money, commercial kitchen equipment financing 2026, or cash-flow support for a remodel or ramp-up. If your goal is to see the rate you qualify for in 2 minutes, with no credit-score hit, match your situation first and avoid applying for the wrong product.

What to know

Situation	Best fit	Typical range	What usually matters most
Buying a franchise or second unit	SBA loans for restaurant franchises	8-11% APR, up to $5,000,000	640+ FICO, 24 months in business, 1.25x DSCR
Ovens, fryers, walk-ins, POS, smallwares	Equipment financing	12-16% APR, 5-7 years	Invoice quality, equipment resale value, 15-25% down
Remodel, buildout overrun, opening cash	Working capital loan	18-22% APR	Bank statements, revenue consistency, payment fit

For a purchase, franchise restaurant business loans are usually underwritten around the company you are buying, not just the brand name. That is why acquisition loan guides matter: the lender wants to see the purchase price, the lease, transfer terms, and whether the target unit can cover debt after you take over. A common mistake is asking equipment lenders to fund an acquisition, or asking an SBA lender to treat a full kitchen buildout like a simple asset purchase. The use of funds changes the path.

For equipment-heavy deals, equipment financing is usually the cleanest route because the machine itself helps secure the loan. That makes it a strong fit for quick service restaurants replacing fryers, grills, ice makers, or refrigeration. Most lenders want some skin in the game, often 15-25% down, and they care about the payment-to-revenue fit as much as the sticker price. If the restaurant is already operating, they will often review 2-6 months of bank statements and look for roughly 1.25x debt service coverage. If the deal is mostly equipment, this path is often faster than SBA and can close in 5-30 days.

If your need is broader than equipment, restaurant franchise renovation loans and working capital loans fill different gaps. Renovation financing is better when permits, labor, signage, and leasehold improvements are the real cost drivers. Working capital is better when the store is open but cash is tight from training payroll, vendor deposits, or slower-than-expected ramp-up. San Bernardino restaurant owners with that kind of squeeze often compare the same speed-vs-cost tradeoff laid out in San Bernardino restaurant working capital and cash flow financing.

For bigger buys or mixed-use projects, SBA 7(a) is still the standard benchmark: 640+ FICO, about 24 months in business, and rates around 8-11% APR in 2026. The tradeoff is time. SBA can take 30-45 days, while equipment financing is often faster. A practical rule: if the money is mostly for a purchase or a full remodel, SBA is usually the better fit; if the spend is mostly hardware, equipment financing is usually cleaner. Either way, Section 179 may still help on qualifying equipment, and the 2026 deduction limit is $1,220,000 if the asset and tax rules line up.