Restaurant lending, proven by approvals

SBA lenders that actually fund restaurants

Ranked by funded SBA records for restaurant and food-service businesses in the available 7(a) and 504 source files. Activity is a useful fit signal because restaurant underwriting depends on location, margins, lease terms, equipment, and operating history.

Published August 20, 2026 Data through June 30, 2026

Huntington has the largest restaurant and food-service loan count in this dataset.M&T Bank and U.S. Bank follow. The highest-volume lender is not automatically the right lender for your deal size or startup status.

Most active SBA lenders for restaurants

#	Lender	Industry loans	Median loan (all)	Median rate	Startup share
1	The Huntington National Bank	4,959	$95K	9.5%	37.6%
2	Manufacturers and Traders Trust Company	1,218	$50K	10.49%	36.7%
3	U.S. Bank, National Association	1,169	$45K	8.51%	32.4%
4	TD Bank, National Association	979	$50K	10.55%	28.7%
5	Newtek Bank, National Association	962	$200K	11.25%	17.3%
6	Readycap Lending, LLC	909	$150K	11.25%	18.6%
7	Bank of Hope	715	$323K	8.5%	24.2%
8	KeyBank National Association	710	$100K	9.24%	66.3%
9	Granite State Economic Development Corporation	663	$301K	n/a	13.4%
10	GBank	641	$2.4M	8.25%	22.2%
11	Wells Fargo Bank National Association	640	$15K	9.75%	83.7%
12	Celtic Bank Corporation	640	$150K	10.25%	20.8%
13	Live Oak Banking Company	619	$785K	8.35%	22.4%
14	Northeast Bank	580	$103K	10.75%	11.1%
15	Florida Business Development Corporation	513	$445K	n/a	6%
16	Mortgage Capital Development Corporation	483	$744K	n/a	4%
17	Empire State Certified Development Corporation	472	$607K	n/a	7.8%
18	WBD, Inc.	451	$518K	n/a	8.3%
19	JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association	407	$185K	10.65%	8%
20	Midwest Business Finance Corporation	402	$390K	n/a	11.6%

Match the lender to the restaurant, not the category

New location: prioritize lenders with meaningful startup activity and experience reviewing projections.
Existing restaurant: bring clean tax returns, store-level cash flow, lease terms, and recent sales trends.
Acquisition: ask about change-of-ownership experience, valuation, working capital, and seller financing.
Equipment-heavy buildout: compare 7(a), equipment financing, and 504 options instead of forcing one structure.

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Methodology and sources

We grouped SBA 7(a) and 504 approvals using two-digit NAICS sector 72, Accommodation and Food Services, then ranked lenders by funded loan count in the available source files. The 7(a) file begins in 2020 and the 504 file begins in 2010. Median loan and rate figures describe each lender's broader SBA activity, not restaurant loans alone.

SBA 7(a) and 504 FOIA dataset, data as of 2026-06-30
Data retrieved and lender identities verified 2026-08-08

Not a lender or broker of record. Past restaurant lending does not indicate current appetite or approval. Educational only. Not financial or legal advice.