What documents do I need to apply for restaurant finance?

For UK restaurant finance, plan to submit eight documents at full application: 6 months of business bank statements, latest filed Companies House accounts, most recent management accounts (within 90 days), 6 months of card-machine statements (Stripe, Worldpay, SumUp, Square or equivalent), photo ID and proof of address for every director with 25%+ shareholding, business premises lease or freehold title, food hygiene rating certificate, and (for fit-out or equipment finance) supplier proforma invoices.

Card-machine statements are the most important document for restaurant finance. They give the lender a real-time view of weekly trading volume, average ticket size, seasonality, and chargeback patterns. Merchant cash advance lenders like Capify, 365 Business Finance and Liberis underwrite primarily off card-machine flow, so a clean 6-month track is more valuable to them than a polished P&L.

For unsecured working capital from a fintech lender like iwoca, Funding Circle or Fleximize, bank statements and accounts dominate the underwriting. Card statements are confirmatory rather than primary.

For fit-out or refurbishment loans, the supplier proforma invoice and the lease (showing remaining term) become the gating documents. Lenders typically want at least 3 to 5 years of remaining lease term to fund a substantial fit-out, ideally 7+. See can I finance a restaurant fit-out or refurbishment and our hospitality loans page for sector-specific guidance.