Quick answer
Takeaway and fast food shops borrow for fryers, pizza ovens and extraction, shop refits, delivery vehicles, a second site or buying an established store. Lenders look at banked card and delivery-platform income, food and wage costs, rent against sales and the lease term. Most equipment and working-capital needs suit unsecured options sized on turnover; property security helps for purchases and full rebuilds.
Key points
- Card and delivery-app payouts give lenders clean, banked evidence.
- Food and wage costs are compared with ATO takeaway benchmarks.
- Rent and lease term matter as much as sales.
- A certified food safety supervisor is a legal must for most outlets.
- Common uses
- Fryers, ovens, refits, second sites
- Lenders focus on
- Banked sales, food cost, rent, lease
- Unsecured options
- Typically $5k – $500k
- Property-secured
- $20k – $5m
Takeaway is a volume game. Fish and chips, pizza, kebabs, burgers, charcoal chicken, dumplings — the margins on each order are thin, so the shop wins on how many orders go out the door and how tightly costs are run. Lenders know this. When they assess a takeaway business, they’re asking a simple question: does enough money land in the bank, week after week, to carry the repayment comfortably?
What do takeaway shops borrow for?
- Cooking gear. Fryers, pizza ovens, chargrills, rotisseries, kebab machines and the extraction that goes over them.
- Refrigeration. Upright fridges, freezers, prep benches and a cool room when the old one starts failing.
- Shop refits. New counters, menu boards, seating and flooring to lift a tired store.
- Delivery. Scooters, small cars and insulated bags for in-house delivery that avoids platform commissions.
- A second outlet. Fit-out, bond and opening stock for a new site.
- Buying an existing store. Goodwill, plant and stock in a business with a trading record.
How do lenders assess a takeaway business?
Banked sales, not till totals. Card payments, online orders and delivery-platform payouts all land in the bank with a clear trail. Lenders like that. Cash is a different story: if it isn’t banked and declared, it doesn’t count.
Delivery-app income. Platforms pay out after taking their commission, so the deposits are lower than the menu prices suggest. A good application shows gross platform sales and the payouts side by side, so the lender can see real margins.
Food and wage costs. The ATO’s benchmarks for takeaway food services set out typical ranges for cost of sales, labour and rent against turnover. If your food cost sits well above the range, expect a question about waste, portioning or pricing.
Rent and the lease. Rent that swallows a big slice of sales leaves little room for a repayment. The lease also needs enough time left to cover the loan.
Food safety compliance. Under Food Standards Code Standard 3.2.2A, most food service businesses handling unpackaged, ready-to-eat high-risk food must have a certified food safety supervisor, a requirement that has applied since December 2023. Lenders won’t run your audit, but a current registration and supervisor certificate show the shop is run properly.
Need a new fryer bank before the next long weekend? See if your shop qualifies in about a minute — no credit check to enquire.
A closer look: equipment finance or a cash-flow loan?
Big single items — a deck pizza oven, a cool room, a delivery car — can be financed against the item itself. Business.gov.au’s guide to leasing or buying vehicles and equipment sets out the trade-off between owning gear outright and paying for it over time. Hospitality equipment finance explains how lenders treat commercial kitchen gear, including the fact that used fryers and benches don’t resell for much.
A shop replacing five or six smaller items at once often finds a cash-flow loan simpler: one application, one repayment, and no need to pin each item on a security register.
| Need | Often suits | Why |
|---|---|---|
| One large oven or cool room | Equipment finance | The asset supports the loan |
| Several small items plus stock | Unsecured cash-flow loan | One facility, sized on turnover |
| Full refit of a new site | Fit-out loan, often property-secured | Large, mostly non-resaleable spend |
| Buying an established shop | Acquisition loan | Goodwill needs income and security |
What documents speed up a takeaway application?
- six to twelve months of business bank statements;
- POS reports, ideally split by counter, phone and delivery orders;
- delivery-platform statements;
- the shop lease and any option or assignment documents;
- latest BAS and tax return;
- quotes for equipment or the refit;
- food business registration and supervisor certificate.
What red flags do lenders spot in takeaway shops?
- Cash-heavy trade with thin banked deposits.
- Platform dependence — most sales through apps, with commissions squeezing margin.
- Rising food costs not reflected in menu prices.
- Late BAS or a growing ATO debt.
- Supplier accounts on stop, often visible in the statements.
- A lease close to expiry.
Illustrative example: a second pizza shop
Illustrative example: a family-run pizza shop with three years of steady trade wants to open a second store in a growing suburb nearby. They need $140k for the fit-out, a second deck oven and opening stock. Card and delivery payouts show reliable banked sales, and the first shop’s manager has been there four years. Because most of the fit-out can’t be resold, the lender suggests a property-secured facility using equity in the owners’ home, with a smaller unsecured line kept aside for stock and wages during the new store’s first quiet months.
Common misconceptions about takeaway finance
“Busy Friday nights mean a strong application.” A packed Friday is great, but lenders average across the month. A shop that’s flat Monday to Thursday will be judged on the whole week, not its best night.
“Delivery apps prove demand, so they help.” They do show demand, but heavy reliance on platforms can thin the margin that services a loan. Lenders look at what’s left after commission.
“The equipment pays for itself, so the lender won’t care about the shop.” Even with equipment finance, the repayment comes out of trading income. The shop’s numbers always matter.
Questions a lender will ask a takeaway owner
- What share of orders comes through the counter, the phone and the apps?
- Which nights carry the week, and how do quiet nights look?
- How long have the key staff been with you?
- What will the funds change — faster service, lower costs, a new suburb?
How should a takeaway owner prepare?
Start banking every dollar a few months before you apply. Tidy up the BAS. Get written quotes rather than estimates. If you’re opening a new site, have the lease terms in draft and a simple plan showing how the second shop reaches break-even. Owners who can show a lender their weekly sales pattern, food cost and staff roster usually walk away with a facility that suits the shop rather than one that strains it. The industry finder has a quick checklist for food businesses, and the café guide covers similar ground for coffee-led stores.
Ready to fund the next step for your shop?
Whether it’s a new fryer bank or a second store, the first step is short. The enquiry takes about 60 seconds and won’t affect your credit score. We don’t farm your details out to multiple lenders, so your phone stays quiet. A real person reads your situation and calls you to talk it through. Please enter your sales, the amount and any property accurately — it helps us put the right option in front of you straight away.
Frequently asked questions
Do lenders count Uber Eats, DoorDash or Menulog income?
Yes, when it is paid into your business account. Platform payouts arrive net of commission, so lenders read them alongside your POS reports to understand true sales and margins.
Can I get a loan for a takeaway shop that mostly takes cash?
It is harder. Lenders can only rely on what reaches the bank and your tax returns. Banking cash daily and recording it properly for a few months before you apply makes a real difference.
Can I borrow to open a second store?
Often, if the first shop is trading well and you can show how it will run while your attention is split. Lenders look at the new lease, the fit-out quote and who will manage each site.
Is equipment finance better than a business loan for a pizza oven?
It depends. Equipment finance uses the oven as security, which suits bigger items with resale value. For a mix of small items, an unsecured loan sized on turnover is often simpler.
Will a short lease affect my application?
Usually. A lender wants the shop to trade for at least as long as the loan runs, so a lease with only a year or two left — and no option — can limit the amount or term on offer.