Key Takeaways
- E-2 restaurant owners qualify for Bankable funding based on business revenue — no green card or citizenship required
- The March 1, 2026 SBA rule change bars all non-citizen owners from SBA loans — Bankable is your direct alternative
- Restaurant funding from $50K to $5M available in tranches aligned to your revenue capacity
- Korean BBQ, Japanese sushi, Mexican taquerias, Turkish kebab restaurants, and all food service businesses are eligible
- 48-hour credit decisions, 92% approval rate for businesses with 6+ months of consistent revenue
The restaurant industry is one of the most popular E-2 visa vehicles in the United States, and for good reason. A full-service restaurant in a major metro area can generate $800K to $2M annually, employs multiple US workers, and operates in a sector that immigration officers recognize as a legitimate "substantial investment." Korean-American investors have built entire business corridors — Koreatown Los Angeles, Koreantown Manhattan, Duluth Georgia's strip malls — anchored by food service businesses funded by E-2 visas. Japanese investors run some of the most acclaimed sushi bars and ramen shops in New York, San Francisco, and Chicago. Turkish, Mexican, Italian, and Taiwanese E-2 holders collectively operate tens of thousands of US restaurants.
What these owners share is a common problem: they got their businesses up and running with personal capital tied to the E-2 investment requirement, and now — sometimes 3, 5, or 10 years in — they need growth capital. A second location. New kitchen equipment. A larger space. Marketing campaigns. The bridge between a slow season and the next busy quarter. Traditional banks require green cards or citizenship for business owners. The SBA, which was once a viable option, formally excluded all non-US-citizen business owners on March 1, 2026. Bankable fills this void entirely.
The E-2 Restaurant Owner's Unique Capital Challenge
When you applied for your E-2 visa, you proved to USCIS that you invested a "substantial amount" in a real US business. For restaurants, that typically means $150,000 to $500,000 in leasehold improvements, kitchen equipment, furniture, initial inventory, and working capital. You demonstrated the investment was "at risk" — meaning you couldn't pull it back without dissolving the business. You hired US employees. You created value.
Now you want to grow. Maybe tables are full every weekend and you're turning away customers. Maybe the lease on the adjacent space just became available. Maybe your kitchen equipment is aging and a new conveyor oven or commercial refrigeration system would let you increase throughput by 30%. In a normal world, you'd walk into a bank and show your revenue statements. But the world for E-2 business owners is not normal. Banks run immigration status checks. The SBA program you qualified for last year now legally bars you. Private lenders often don't know how to underwrite an E-2 holder.
Bankable's revenue-based tranche funding was designed precisely for this scenario. We evaluate your restaurant's trailing 6-month revenue, average daily credit card volume, and payment processing history. If your restaurant is generating consistent revenue, you qualify — regardless of your visa category, regardless of whether your green card is pending, approved, or not yet applied for.
Restaurant Economics: What Bankable Looks At
Restaurants operate on tight economics. Food cost should run 28-35% of revenue. Labor another 28-35%. Occupancy (rent plus utilities) another 10-15%. That leaves 10-25% for everything else, including loan repayment. Our underwriters understand these ratios. We don't apply the same repayment model to a restaurant that we'd apply to a trucking company or a software firm.
| Restaurant Type | Typical Annual Revenue | Typical Bankable Funding Range |
|---|---|---|
| Quick Service / Fast Casual | $400K - $900K | $50K - $300K |
| Full-Service Casual Dining | $800K - $1.8M | $100K - $600K |
| Upscale / Fine Dining | $1.5M - $4M | $200K - $1.5M |
| Multi-Location Operator | $2M - $10M | $500K - $5M |
Popular E-2 Restaurant Categories
Korean BBQ restaurants represent one of the largest E-2 restaurant cohorts in the US. The model is capital-intensive — individual tabletop grills, heavy-duty ventilation systems, and high-turnover staffing — but the revenue per square foot can be exceptional. Korean E-2 investors in Los Angeles's Koreatown, Flushing Queens, and Duluth Georgia have built $1M+ revenue operations that now qualify for Bankable's upper-tier funding tranches.
Japanese cuisine investors — particularly those operating sushi, ramen, izakaya, and omakase concepts — tend to operate in higher-price-point locations where average check sizes run $60-$150 per person. These businesses often have high credit card volumes relative to cash, making revenue verification straightforward for our underwriting team.
Turkish, Italian, Mexican, and Colombian E-2 operators collectively represent thousands of US food service businesses ranging from neighborhood spots to established restaurant groups. Bankable has funded E-2 restaurant owners across all these nationalities and cuisines.
What You Can Use Bankable Funding For
- Second location buildout: Leasehold improvements, equipment installation, initial inventory, and opening working capital for your expansion
- Kitchen equipment upgrade: Commercial ovens, refrigeration units, dish machines, hood systems, and POS infrastructure
- Seasonal cash flow bridge: Covering payroll and fixed costs during slow months while maintaining staff for the busy season ahead
- Marketing and delivery platform: Funding your presence on DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Google — plus local advertising campaigns
- Lease buyout or deposit: Securing a larger or better-located space when your landlord offers an opportunity
- Acquisition of adjacent restaurant: Buying out a neighboring operator or acquiring a competitor's customer base
How Bankable's Revenue-Based Tranche Funding Works
Traditional loans have fixed monthly payments. Revenue-based funding flexes with your business. Bankable advances capital in tranches — typically $50K to $250K increments — and repayment is structured as a percentage of your daily or weekly revenue. On slow weeks, you pay less. On strong weeks, payments adjust accordingly. The total repayment amount is fixed upfront so there are no surprise fees or balloon payments.
For E-2 restaurant owners specifically, this structure has a critical advantage: it doesn't require you to demonstrate creditworthiness on personal credit bureaus tied to a Social Security Number used for immigration status. We run our underwriting on the business — its EIN, its revenue history, its bank statements. Your SSN is used for identity verification only, never for status checks.
Revenue-Based Funding
Repay as a percentage of daily revenue. Payments flex with business performance. No fixed monthly obligation.
Apply Now →Equipment Financing
Finance commercial kitchen equipment with the asset serving as collateral. Lower rates, faster approval.
Learn More →Working Capital Line
Revolving access to capital for payroll, inventory, and operational gaps. Draw what you need, when you need it.
Learn More →Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. E-2 visa holders have a valid SSN, an EIN for their business, and a US business entity. Bankable funds based on business revenue — your immigration status is not a disqualifying factor. The SBA locked out non-citizens on March 1, 2026, but Bankable operates entirely outside the SBA framework.
No. Taking on business debt is a normal part of operating any business. Your E-2 status is maintained by operating your business actively and keeping your capital "at risk" in the business. Using growth capital to expand your restaurant actually strengthens your E-2 case by demonstrating active operation and business development. Always consult your immigration attorney about specific circumstances.
Most Bankable restaurant clients have $300K or more in annual revenue (approximately $25K/month). We can work with restaurants as early as 6 months of operation. The key factor is consistency — we look for steady credit card processing volume rather than a single exceptional month.
Bankable issues preliminary decisions within 48 hours of receiving your application and documentation. Most restaurant clients receive funded capital within 5-7 business days of approval. Emergency capital situations can be expedited.
You'll need 6 months of business bank statements, 3 months of credit card processing statements, your EIN confirmation, and your business entity documents (LLC operating agreement or corporation articles). No personal tax returns are required for initial review.
Yes, and this is one of the most common use cases for E-2 restaurant owners. Opening a second location typically requires $150K-$400K depending on size and buildout requirements. Bankable can structure a tranche specifically for this purpose, with disbursements tied to buildout milestones if needed.
Bankable funds up to $5M for E-2 visa restaurant owners. Single-location restaurants typically qualify for $50K-$600K. Multi-location operators and restaurant groups can access the full $5M ceiling across multiple tranches.
In most cases, yes. MCAs typically carry factor rates of 1.2-1.5x (effectively 40-150% APR) with daily ACH debits that strain cash flow. Bankable's revenue-based funding is structured as a true lending relationship with transparent fees, structured tranches, and terms designed for long-term business health rather than maximum extraction.
Yes. Bankable's underwriting is based on business performance, not visa expiry dates. E-2 visas routinely renew for 2-5 year periods as long as the business remains active — which it will be, since you're actively investing in its growth. The pending renewal does not affect your eligibility.
No SSN upload is required upfront. We gather your business documentation first and only collect identity verification after you've received a preliminary approval and decided to proceed. This protects your privacy during the initial evaluation stage.