GE Capital cooks up deals for restaurant industry

GE Capital Franchise Finance (GEFF) has signalled its intention to take a bite out of the market for finance for the restaurant industry, by expanding its team of account executives to focus on developing relationships with the next generation of restaurant operators nationwide.

Allen Johnson (pictured above) will lead the initiative, with a promotion to managing director of new relationship development in the US. In his new role Johnson will oversee a team of account executives who are looking to build connections with operators who need financing beyond what may be available from the Small Business Administration and local banks.

“The US economy continues to strengthen, and the public’s interest in dining away from home shows no signs of abating,” said Todd S. Jones, senior managing director of brand management at GEFF. “We’ve analyzed the current market dynamics and we’re excited to provide financing to more operators.”

Alongside its annual in-depth restaurant industry analysis Chain Restaurant Industry Review, GEFF says it will be offering clients in the sector its proprietary industry research and digital tools such as SmartChart, which helps companies manage and build their businesses by allowing comparisons of various metrics.

Figures from the National Restaurant Association’s third quarter Performance Index Report show that finance is on the menu for a majority of its members. Latest data shows that 59% of food service establishments made capital expenditures including remodeling and equipment purchases in the past three months, with the same proportion expecting to do so over the next six months. The association says the commercial restaurant service industry generated over $683 billion dollars in revenue in 2014, representing an increase of nearly 20% in the past four years.