Hospitality Equipment Finance from 4.99% p.a.

Finance for Every Hospitality Business

The hospitality industry encompasses a diverse range of businesses, from boutique cafes and fine dining restaurants to large-scale catering operations and food manufacturing. Each type of venue has specific equipment needs, and the total investment in commercial kitchen and front-of-house equipment can be substantial.

A typical restaurant fitout in Australia costs between $100,000 and $500,000 depending on the size, cuisine style, and quality of equipment. Even a small cafe setup requires a commercial coffee machine ($10,000 to $30,000), refrigeration ($5,000 to $20,000), food preparation equipment, POS system, and furniture. Equipment finance allows hospitality operators to preserve their working capital for the critical first months of trading.

We work with hospitality businesses at every stage: new venue openings where the entire fitout needs to be financed, existing venues upgrading or replacing aging equipment, expanding operations to second or third locations, food trucks and mobile catering setups, and commercial kitchens for food manufacturing and catering businesses.

Complete Fitout Finance Packages

Rather than financing individual pieces of equipment separately, we can arrange a single finance facility that covers your entire fitout. This approach offers several advantages for hospitality operators.

A single facility means one application, one approval, and one monthly repayment. It simplifies your bookkeeping and tax reporting. It also ensures all equipment is financed at the same competitive rate, rather than paying different rates for different items. The total cost including installation, delivery, and accessories can be included.

For new venue openings, a fitout finance package can cover commercial kitchen equipment (ovens, grills, fryers, cooktops), refrigeration systems (coolrooms, display fridges, ice machines), front-of-house items (tables, chairs, bar fittings, lighting), technology (POS systems, booking systems, kitchen display systems), ventilation and exhaust hood systems, and signage and branding.

Hospitality Industry Lending Challenges

Hospitality is viewed as a higher-risk industry by many mainstream lenders due to historically higher failure rates, particularly for new venues. This does not mean finance is unavailable — it means working with the right lenders who understand and are comfortable with hospitality risk is important.

Our panel includes lenders who specialise in hospitality finance. They understand that a well-run restaurant with experienced operators, a good location, and a reasonable lease is a sound lending proposition. They assess the whole picture rather than simply rejecting applications based on industry codes.

Factors that strengthen a hospitality equipment finance application include demonstrated hospitality experience (as owner, chef, or manager), a strong personal credit history, a long-term commercial lease in a good location, realistic financial projections based on comparable venues, and a meaningful personal financial contribution to the project.

Technology for Modern Hospitality

Modern hospitality venues increasingly rely on technology to operate efficiently. POS systems, online ordering platforms, kitchen display systems, reservation management, and inventory tracking software are becoming essential rather than optional. These technology costs can be included in equipment finance packages.

For technology that is updated frequently (like POS tablets and software), an operating lease can be more suitable than a chattel mortgage, as it allows you to upgrade at the end of the term without being locked into ownership of outdated equipment.