Aspenhollow Business Capital, based in Olympia, WA, arranges restaurant business loans through funding partners: equipment financing for kitchens and walk-in coolers, term loans for renovations, and restaurant working capital. Thurston County, WA had 191 full-service and 193 limited-service restaurants in 2023, together employing 7,160 people (the two CBP employment counts added, our arithmetic). This page covers each need.
| Full-service restaurants | 191 (CBP 2023, NAICS 722511) |
|---|---|
| Limited-service restaurants | 193 (CBP 2023, NAICS 722513) |
| Paid employees, both | 7,160 (3,361 + 3,799, our arithmetic from CBP 2023) |
| In the city's main ZIP | 64 full-service, 42 limited-service (ZBP 2023) |
| Share under 5 employees | 20.9% full-service; 15.5% limited-service |
Daily card deposits, weekly food bills: the restaurant rhythm
A restaurant's money can move on a short rhythm: card settlements may land within days, food suppliers may bill weekly or on short terms, and wages run every pay period. A broken cooler, a slow month or a menu change can strain the account. Long-lived purchases (a hood, a dish machine, a dining-room remodel) compete with weekly costs for the same cash.
Restaurant financing by need
| Need | Option | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Range, hood, dish machine | Equipment financing | New or used; quote should list each item |
| A failed walk-in cooler or freezer | Walk-in cooler financing | Installation and refrigeration work may be separate |
| POS system | POS system financing | Hardware financed; software may be a subscription |
| Refreshing the dining room or rebuilding the line | Restaurant renovation loan | Fixed payments; bring contractor bids |
| Food cost and wages before a strong stretch | Restaurant working capital | Sized to the gap, repaid on a schedule |
| Uneven weeks | Business line of credit for a restaurant | Drawn and repaid as needed |
Equipment comes first
A restaurant request can start with the kitchen. Partners review what the equipment is, its age if used, and the seller. A used range from a dealer with a warranty gives the partner more to verify than a private sale. A walk-in cooler can fail suddenly and cannot wait; get the quote to list the box, the refrigeration unit and installation separately.
Renovations and second locations
A dining-room refresh, a patio build or a second location is a project with a budget and a timeline, which suits a term loan. Partners want contractor bids, the lease and recent sales. Equipment for the new site can be financed separately so the term loan stays focused on the build-out.
Card receipts and advances
Because restaurants run on card sales, merchant cash advances can be offered to them. An advance is not a loan: it buys a share of future receipts and collects through remittances. Compare it with a line of credit or working capital first; the merchant cash advance page shows how to total the cost.
Illustrative example: a cooler fails
A hypothetical example, for illustration only. A 60-seat full-service restaurant loses its walk-in cooler. Replacement is quoted at $18,500 installed. The owner has $27,500 in the account and $14,000 of payroll due in ten days. Financing the cooler over several years keeps payroll covered; paying cash for the cooler would leave a $5,000 hole on payday.
Restaurants in Thurston County, WA
Thurston County, WA had 191 full-service restaurants (NAICS 722511) with 3,361 paid employees and $110.0 million in payroll, and 193 limited-service restaurants (NAICS 722513) with 3,799 employees and $90.5 million in payroll, in 2023 (County Business Patterns 2023). Few are tiny: 20.9% of full-service and 15.5% of limited-service establishments had fewer than five employees. ZIP 98501 held 64 full-service and 42 limited-service restaurants (ZIP Code Business Patterns 2023).
The wider Accommodation and Food Services sector counted 611 employer establishments and 10,731 paid employees (CBP 2023). The separate Nonemployer Statistics program counted 10 full-service and 21 limited-service restaurants with no paid employees in 2024; it is not compared with the employer counts.
Before buying kitchen equipment on credit
- Is the used equipment from a dealer, with a warranty, or a private sale?
- Does the quote separate the unit from installation, gas and electrical work?
- How long is left on the lease, compared with the financing term?
- Will the purchase change food cost or labor in a way you can show?
- Are any card receipts already committed to an advance?
A partner may ask some of these. Answering them in the request gives the review a starting point.
What partners commonly review
- Card processing statements and bank statements
- Itemized equipment quotes, or bids from the contractor
- The lease, with its remaining term
- Food and beverage sales trends
- Existing advances or loans
- Owner credit; time in business
Cafés have their own page, coffee shops and cafés. County context is on the Olympia, WA page; see all industries.
By Aspenhollow Business Capital · Updated