Sell a business · Restaurant
Sell your restaurant, on your terms.
Restaurants trade at lower multiples than most small businesses - not because buyers don't want them, but because the earnings are harder to defend. Thin margins, lease dependence, concept risk, and the reality that many restaurants are inseparable from their operator all push pricing down. The sellers who beat the average are the ones who can prove their numbers and transfer their lease.
The lease is frequently worth more than the kitchen. A below-market lease with years of term and transfer rights is a genuine asset; a month-to-month arrangement or a landlord with veto power is a discount waiting to happen. Sort the lease before you list and you have solved the biggest restaurant deal-killer in advance.
What buyers pay for
What moves your restaurant toward the top of the band.
Provable sales
POS reports that tie to tax returns are non-negotiable. Cash sales that never hit the books cannot be sold - buyers pay only for earnings they can verify.
Lease term and transferability
Years remaining, options, rent as a percent of sales, and the landlord's consent process. Buyers and their lenders read the lease before they read the menu.
A kitchen that runs without the owner
If the food is you, the buyer is buying a job. A documented menu, recipes, and a kitchen manager or chef who stays make the earnings transferable.
Prepare before you list
Diligence starts long before the buyer shows up.
Reconcile POS to tax returns now
Three years of POS summaries that match your filed returns is the foundation of a defensible price. Start cleaning this up months before listing - it cannot be fixed retroactively.
Open the lease conversation early
Read your assignment clause and understand what your landlord can demand. Many sellers negotiate transfer terms or an extension before listing so the deal can't be held hostage later.
Inventory licenses and permits
Liquor licenses, health permits, and grease-trap compliance all have transfer procedures and timelines. Map them early - a liquor license transfer alone can set your closing date.
Free valuation calculator
What is your restaurant actually worth?
Two minutes, no signup. We start from the typical restaurant band of 1.5x to 2.3x owner profit, then adjust for your growth and track record. The math runs entirely in your browser - we never store what you type.
Estimate my business valueThe Slyced Exchange
Sell without telling the world.
When you are ready to ask the market, the Exchange is a private way to do it. Your listing is anonymous by default: built from ranges and categories, screened word by word for anything that could identify you, and reviewed by a person before it goes live.
Buyers verify their identity before they can request access, you approve every request, and a real NDA is signed before your name is revealed. Listing is a flat subscription - never a percentage of your sale.
The Exchange opens soon. Join the owners preparing to list.
Talk to us about sellingAnonymous by default
The public profile is built from ranges and categories. Your name and exact numbers have no field to live in.
Verified buyers only
Anyone can browse, but requesting access requires identity verification first. No anonymous tire-kickers.
NDA before any reveal
You see who a buyer is before they learn who you are, and a real NDA is signed before the reveal.
0% commission, ever
A flat software subscription. We never take a percentage of your sale - not at listing, not at closing.
Plain answers
Questions restaurant owners ask.
- What is a restaurant worth?
- Typical small-business transactions put restaurants at roughly 1.5x to 2.3x SDE - lower than most industries because margins are thin and earnings are harder to verify. Provable books, a strong transferable lease, and a kitchen that runs without the owner all push toward the top of the band. It is a starting range, not an appraisal.
- Why do restaurants sell for lower multiples than other businesses?
- Risk. Thin margins leave little room for error, leases can be lost, concepts age, and revenue often depends on the operator. Buyers price all of that in. The way to fight the discount is documentation: verified sales, a solid lease, and transferable operations.
- Does my liquor license add value?
- Often, yes - in some markets a transferable liquor license has standalone value, and it nearly always makes the business more sellable. Confirm your license's transfer rules early, since approval timelines can drive the whole closing schedule.