Toast Capital Helps The Six Pack Factory Bring Craft Beer & Live Music to Marion, NC

Marion, North Carolina, named “Small Town of the Year” for 2018, is the home of Boondocks Sports Bar & Grill, a southern concept known for its home-made pickle chips and hand-breaded shrimp and catfish. Before they opened, residents had to drive at least an hour away to neighboring towns to sit down for a great meal. After opening, Boondocks quickly became the hot spot for locals to grab a beer and eat a delicious meal while watching the game. It wasn’t long before other bars and restaurants started popping up in Marion to give locals more variety. But one thing was still missing: live music.

To accommodate the overwhelming amount of requests from guests at Boondocks for live music, co-owner and operator Jeremy Suttles combined his passion for customer service, entertainment, and beer by opening up a second concept called The Six Pack Factory. Jeremy knew that opening The Six Pack Factory would ultimately help him increase his margins and drive more revenue, but executing his vision required a significant upfront investment.

As with every new opening, the costs for The Six Pack Factory build-out included renovations, new equipment, inventory, and many other financial investments. Unfortunately, these costs often deter restaurant operators from expanding into new concepts, which is why finding the right financial partner is critical.

Jeremy found the right solution for his business with Toast Capital—a cash advance opportunity provided directly through their POS provider, Toast. Because he already had a solid relationship with Toast, Toast Capital was clearly Jeremy’s best option for financial support. One of the biggest benefits was that Jeremy could receive the funds needed as soon as the next business day.

Since Jeremy already owned the real estate, he needed to move quickly with renovations to avoid sinking excessive money into utilities before The Six Pack Factory even opened its doors.

“We were still paying for water, we were still paying for electricity, and we were still paying for insurance. We were paying our bills with the profits from the other business, Boondocks. One business was propping up the other, so we wanted to open as fast as possible” Jeremy explained.

With utility and renovation costs climbing, Jeremy researched a number of financial options in addition to Toast Capital. He researched bank loans, but he found the repayment period way too long. “Even if you have the intention of paying it off early, banks will stretch it out as long as they can. We didn’t want to do that. We wanted something that we would pay off quickly,” he explained. He explored installment loans and even discussed the option of using his personal credit cards—but the interest rates were just too high.

There were several reasons why Toast Capital stood out to Jeremy.

Flexibility of Payments

First and foremost, he wanted a repayment amount that would fluctuate with his business. Since Toast processes payments at Boondocks, the company could collect a small, fixed percentage of their daily credit card sales as repayment, with no compounding interest. Because he was relying on the sales from Boondocks to fund the build-out, he wanted to make sure that he wasn’t paying more than he could afford. Jeremy was more confident that he would never pay more than his sales volume was able to support.

“We know exactly what we’re paying based off of our sales, meaning if for some reason our sales are down, our repayment will be lower, too,” said Jeremy. “Any business is going to have bad days,” he said, “and Toast Capital’s flexibility makes it easier to repay.”

Convenience

For Jeremy, the transparent cost and the repayment process for Toast Capital was the most convenient in the market. Compared to application processes that typically take weeks, applying for Toast Capital took minutes and he was able to receive the cash advance within 48 hours.

“We don’t have to worry about rates or making payments. They’re taken out automatically, so you don’t have to touch anything,” Jeremy said. Jeremy now has more time to focus on his business rather than worrying that he was missing a bill.

Community Impact

One of Jeremy’s main goals is to make a strong contribution to his community. By opening up The Six Pack Factory, he not only brought people together by providing more food, entertainment, and experiences, but the foot traffic alone encouraged other restaurateurs to open new concepts on what actually is the “Main Street” in Marion.

“For the first time in 29 years, there’s not a single empty storefront on Main Street,” Jeremy said. “After we opened, one brewery opened up the following New Year’s Eve, followed by another brewery and a tap room that summer. All of these businesses are thriving, ultimately drawing more people.”

For Jeremy, Toast Capital is an opportunity that not only supports his current businesses, but also helps drive his future endeavors. With big plans to bring more concepts to his community, Jeremy is confident that the convenience, simple repayment, and overall flexibility of Toast Capital will fuel that growth by bringing people more of what they love: food and entertainment.