Bellcrest Lending Group, a small-business funding service in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, explains funding for bars and taverns: equipment financing for coolers and draft systems, inventory financing for stock, and term loans for buying a bar with its license. It uses Fond du Lac County drinking-place figures from County Business Patterns 2023 and Nonemployer Statistics 2024.
At a glance
- Employer establishments
42 employer locations, Fond du Lac County, WI (CBP 2023)
- Fewer than five employees
23 of the 42 employers (54.8%, CBP 2023)
- Annual payroll
$3.2 million paid to 214 employees (CBP 2023)
- Businesses without paid employees
17 with no payroll (Nonemployer Statistics 2024, NAICS 2022)
Bars Across Fond du Lac County, WI: 2023 and 2024 Census Counts
For drinking places serving alcoholic beverages (NAICS 7224), County Business Patterns counted 42 employer establishments in Fond du Lac County, WI in 2023, with 214 paid employees and $3.2 million in annual payroll; 23 of them, or 54.8%, had fewer than five employees, and 17 used a ZIP 54935 address (ZIP Code Business Patterns 2023; the ZIP is not the city limits). That works out to about 5.1 employees per establishment and about $15,005 of payroll per employee (our arithmetic).
Nonemployer Statistics, a separate Census program built on NAICS 2022 codes, counted 17 businesses without paid employees in drinking places (NAICS 2022 7224) in the county for 2024, with $2.4 million in combined receipts, or about $139,824 each (our arithmetic). The two programs count different businesses, so this page keeps them apart.
Liquor license loan for Fond du Lac County, WI businesses
A liquor license by itself is a hard item to lend against, because its value depends on the licensing authority and on transfer rules. Where a license is part of buying an existing bar, its cost is folded into the purchase price and financed with a term loan on the bar's records.
Bar equipment financing options: what Fond du Lac, WI owners should know
Bar equipment options include buying with an equipment loan, leasing, or financing through a supplier. Coolers, ice machines, glass washers, draft systems, point-of-sale systems and sound systems can all be financed. Some beverage distributors offer draft equipment programs; read who owns the equipment under those.
Equipment financing in Fond du Lac, WI covers loans and leases.
Brewery credit union loans: what Fond du Lac, WI owners should know
A brewery or taproom looking at credit union loans needs to be a member first, then meet the credit union's own requirements. Brewhouse equipment, fermenters and canning lines are specialized; partners value them by the resale market for used brewing equipment.
A request through Bellcrest goes to funding partners, not to a specific credit union, and the same records answer the same questions.
Small business loan for bar around Fond du Lac, WI
A small business loan for a bar is sized to one cost: a remodel, a patio, a kitchen addition or new equipment. Bars in the county averaged about 5.1 employees per establishment in 2023 (214 employees across 42 employers, our arithmetic), so a single purchase can be a large decision for one bar.
Illustration only, invented figures: a $55,000 remodel financed over 60 months at 11% costs about $1,196 a month (our arithmetic). Compare that with average weekly sales before committing.
Bar equipment financing in Fond du Lac, WI
Draft systems, back-bar coolers and ice machines have resale markets, which makes them reasonable collateral. Installed items such as built-in bars and plumbing are harder to remove, and partners may treat them as leasehold improvements instead.
The bar equipment financing article goes further into coolers, draft lines and coffee gear.
Bar business financing options: what Fond du Lac, WI owners should know
Bar business financing options: equipment financing for machines, inventory financing or a line for stock ahead of events, a term loan for a purchase or remodel, and, where card sales are steady, a merchant cash advance, which is not a loan and should be priced in total dollars against the others.
Opening stock for a new bar, or the larger order before a run of events, fits inventory financing or a short draw.
Buying an Existing Tavern in Fond du Lac County, WI
- Get the seller's tax returns, sales records and bank statements.
- Confirm what the price includes: building, equipment, stock, name, license.
- Check the license transfer process with the licensing authority.
- Send the request with the purchase agreement.
- Compare offers by total dollars and collateral.
Sales records for a cash-heavy business need to match deposits; partners will compare the two.
Stock, Events and a Line of Credit for a Fond du Lac County, WI Tavern
A tavern's stock bill rises ahead of a run of busy nights, a festival weekend or a private party booking, and falls back afterward. A revolving line fits that rhythm: draw for the order, repay as the nights pay off. A term loan for stock would keep charging interest after the stock is gone.
Illustration only, invented figures: a bar orders $9,000 of extra stock for an event weekend and expects $24,000 in sales from it. If the draw is repaid within three weeks from those sales, the interest cost is a few weeks on $9,000, not a year. Keep the event's sales report; it is the record that shows the draw paid for itself.
Payroll for event staff is part of the same gap. Count it with the stock when sizing the draw.
Records a Partner Asks a Fond du Lac, WI Bar For
- Recent bank statements plus card processor reports.
- Tax returns and year-to-date financials.
- Point-of-sale sales reports by week.
- The lease and license documents.
- Dispenser or cooler quotes, or the station purchase agreement.
Related pages: restaurant funding, merchant cash advances, all industries and local figures for Fond du Lac, WI.
By Bellcrest Lending Group ยท Updated