Industry Expertise

Restaurants, approached selectively and honestly.

Independent restaurants and small local groups. This is a category we work in carefully, because restaurant transactions turn on a small number of make-or-break items, and pretending otherwise does not serve anybody.

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A category EDGE approaches selectively, with clear eyes on the numbers.

What Drives Value

The lease, the license, and the owner.

Restaurant valuation gets a lot of attention, but restaurant transactions are most often decided by three practical questions: does the lease transfer, does the license transfer, and does the business work without the owner in it.

Lease terms and assignability

Remaining term, renewal options, rent as a percentage of sales, and whether the landlord will consent to assignment. This is frequently the gating item in the entire deal.

Licenses and permits

Liquor licenses in particular can represent significant value and carry their own transfer process and timeline, which has to be built into the closing plan.

Owner dependence

An owner who is the chef, the manager, and the face of the restaurant is difficult to replace, and buyers discount heavily for it.

Prime cost discipline

Combined food and labor cost as a percentage of sales is the clearest single measure of whether the operation is genuinely well run.

Sales trend and channel mix

Direction of sales over several years, and the balance of dine-in, takeout, delivery, and catering, which carry different margins.

Equipment, buildout, and condition

The physical condition of the kitchen and dining room, and how much deferred capital a buyer will inherit on day one.

Our honest posture on restaurants

Restaurants can be excellent businesses, and they can also be very difficult ones to sell at the price an owner has in mind. We take these engagements selectively and will tell you candidly where we think your restaurant stands before you commit to a process.

Both Sides of the Deal

Whether you are acquiring or exiting.

For Buyers

Acquiring a restaurant

Most restaurant buyers are owner-operators. The analysis has to be grounded in what the business earns under realistic management, not in what it could theoretically do.

Lease review and landlord assignment requirements addressed before you commit
License transfer requirements and timelines built into the closing plan
Prime cost and sales trend analysis on actual figures, not projections
Honest assessment of how much of the operation depends on the current owner
Every offer reviewed by our Managing Director before it goes out

See Buyer Representation

For Sellers

Selling your restaurant

Confidentiality matters enormously here. Staff turnover and customer speculation can damage the business while it is still on the market.

A candid valuation, including whether the market supports your expectation
Blind marketing so staff and regulars do not learn it from the market
Lease and license transfer issues identified up front, not mid-diligence
Buyers screened for capital, financing, and the ability to actually operate
A direct answer about timing and readiness before you commit to a process

See Seller Representation

Buying or selling a restaurant?

Every conversation is confidential, and there is no cost or obligation to start one.

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