Shop, Bar and Restaurant Fit Out Finance

Restaurant fit outs, bar refurbishments and new shop interiors can be spread across fixed monthly payments, and fit out finance works best when the package is built around equipment and fixtures, subject to status.

From £1,000 with no upper limit
Decisions within 24 hours
Over 200 lenders, start ups welcome

Cost your fit out Discuss your project

Empty bar with a lit counter, pendant lights and wooden floor, ready for restaurant fit outs

What restaurant fit outs can include

Most projects are a mix of fixtures, equipment and finishing work. We look at the whole quote with you and can usually place the elements that hold their value, and for offices, clinics and workshops our premises refurbishment finance page covers wider refits.

Counters and bar fixtures

Service counters, bar tops, back bar units, glass shelving and fixed display units.

Shelving and display

Wall shelving, gondolas, rails and display units that carry stock on the shop floor.

Seating and furniture

Booths, tables, chairs, stools and soft seating for dining areas and lounges.

Furniture finance

Kitchen and back bar

Cooking, refrigeration and glass washing for the kitchen and bar, a strong part of most fit out packages.

Catering equipment finance

Lighting and signage

Pendant and feature lighting, illuminated signs and fascia signage that give a venue its look.

Tills and payments

Till points, handheld ordering devices and card readers fitted as part of the opening package.

EPOS equipment finance

Sound and screens

Background music systems, TV screens and projection that set the atmosphere.

Audio visual finance

Flooring and finishes

Where flooring and decoration are part of a wider package with solid equipment, they can sometimes be considered, subject to status.

Shop assistant filling a paper bag in a bright shop fitted with wooden shelving

Venues we help to open and refresh

Whether you are planning restaurant fit outs for a first site or a refurbishment of a favourite, the same question applies: what will be in the room, and how much of it is equipment. These are the businesses we hear from most.

Independent shops

Counters, shelving and tills, with shop fit out finance for a new unit.

Bars and pubs

Bar fit out finance for fixtures, back bar units and seating.

Restaurants

Kitchen, front of house and lighting together.

Cafés and bakeries

Display counters, coffee and seating.

Venues and lounges

Sound, screens and furniture for evening trade.

Multi site groups

A consistent refit across several locations.

Three ways to fund a fit out

Which structure suits depends on how much of the project is equipment and whether you want to own it outright at the end. For an industry view of the sector you are trading in, UKHospitality publishes news and guidance for owners at ukhospitality.org.uk.

Hire purchase

You spread the cost over the term and own the equipment and fixtures after the final payment, which suits items with a long working life.

Best for bar fixtures, kitchen equipment and display units you intend to keep.

How hire purchase works

Finance lease

You pay a fixed monthly rental to use the equipment, which keeps the opening outlay low and the cost easy to forecast.

Best for kit such as tills, screens and coffee machines that you may want to replace.

How a finance lease works

Asset refinance

Release cash from equipment your business already owns, then use it towards a refit or a second venue.

Best for established venues refreshing a site from existing assets.

How asset refinance works

From design to opening night

Restaurant fit outs run to a tight schedule, so we work from your contractor's quote and aim to have funding in place before work begins.

Step 1

Break down your quote

Ask your contractor to itemise equipment, fixtures and labour, so we can see what each part is.

Step 2

Send us the figures

Share the quote and a short summary of your business and your opening plans.

Step 3

Get a decision

We approach lenders suited to hospitality and retail projects and aim to reply within 24 hours.

Step 4

Sign and open

Sign online, we pay your supplier and contractor, and you open to customers.

Example: opening a neighbourhood bar

A first time owner is converting a corner unit into a small bar with a short food menu. The unit needs a bar and back bar, seating for sixty, a kitchen, sound and lighting, plus decoration and flooring.

Because lenders look hard at labour and decoration, the owner asks the contractor to itemise the quote. With equipment and fixtures making up a good share, the package is easier to place, and the work that falls outside it is paid for from savings. Our guide to start up funding explains how new businesses are considered.

Rentals can often be offset against profit, and your accountant will confirm the treatment for your accounts. Our tax relief page has the outline.

See your monthly cost

Typical bar opening package

Bar counter and back bar units£12,500

Kitchen equipment and extraction£15,800

Tables, booths and stools£7,400

Sound system and two screens£3,600

Till system and card readers£2,200

Feature lighting£3,500

Total funded£45,000

Illustrative figures only. Decoration and building work sit outside this example. Your payment depends on your business, the supplier quote and the term you choose, and all finance is subject to status.

Venues we have helped fund

Hospitality businesses that used restaurant fit outs and equipment finance to spread what they needed to open.

Max XP

Coffee, catering, furniture and gaming equipment funded to open a venue.

Read the case study

Why Not Bar and Lounge

Bar and catering equipment funded for a venue.

Read the case study

Cafe M

Equipment funded across café and bakery sites in the North East.

Read the case study

Fit out finance questions

Something not covered? Our full FAQs deal with deposits, eligibility and timescales.

Useful downloads

Shop, bar and restaurant fit outs brochure Benefits of leasing Leasing FAQs

Running a venue? Read our guide to equipment finance for hospitality businesses or financing catering equipment before Christmas.

Can the whole fit out be financed?

Not always. Lenders look more closely at restaurant fit outs because labour and decoration have little resale value, so packages usually work best where equipment and fixtures make up a good share. Approval is subject to status, and we cannot promise that pure decoration or building work will be funded.

Should I ask my contractor to itemise the quote?

Yes, it helps a great deal. When equipment, fixtures and labour are listed separately, we can see which parts a lender is likely to fund and plan the rest of the budget accordingly.

Can a new venue get fit out finance?

Yes, start ups are considered. Lenders may ask for a business plan, a deposit or a personal guarantee, and any decision is subject to status.

Does the finance include food hygiene or licensing costs?

No, finance is for equipment and fixtures, not operating costs. Plan separately for registration and compliance, and the Food Standards Agency has a guide to starting a food business.

Can I finance a shop fit out for a rented unit?

Yes, fit out finance is often used by tenants. The lender will want to see that your lease is long enough to cover the term of the agreement.

What happens at the end of the term?

With hire purchase the equipment and fixtures are yours after the final payment. With a lease you can usually continue at a reduced rental, return items or replace them on a fresh agreement.

Planning a fit out?

Send us your itemised quote.

We will come back with fit out finance options for your bar, shop or restaurant within 24 hours.

Begin your quote Call 0191 250 1550