Cash advances for UK cocktail bars.
For independent cocktail bars and craft-spirit venues. Funded against your card takings. Built for bartender-led operators where Thursday-to-Saturday pays for the rest of the week.
What MCA means for a cocktail bar.
Cocktail bars combine a strong card mix (90%+) with high average spend (£12-£18 per drink) and concentrated trading hours (Wed-Sat evenings drive 70% of week's revenue). Margins are healthier than wine bars because spirit-led cocktails have favourable cost-of-goods. Common uses: premium spirit stock buy, ice machine and back-bar kit upgrade, glassware programme, syrup and infusion kitchen build-out, training for new bartender hires, marketing for guest-shifts and brand collabs, second-site working capital.
Sound familiar?
Premium spirit stock buy.
Building a credible spirit selection (small-batch gin, mezcal, agave, single-cask whisky) is £15k to £60k of stock that needs to sit on the back-bar. Most isn't fast-moving but signals quality.
MCA funds the stock build. Premium-cocktail revenue absorbs repayment via the daily card %. Brand positioning lift from credible spirit range often pays back in ATV growth.
Ice machine and back-bar kit.
Crystal-clear ice (Kold-Draft, Hoshizaki) £6k to £15k. Carbonator, sous-vide for syrups, dehydrator, dedicated soft-serve fridges. Incremental £2k to £8k each. Together transform speed and quality.
MCA funds the kit build-out. Speed-of-service improvements lift revenue per shift. Daily repayment % comfortably absorbed by the higher card volume.
Marketing for guest-shifts and brand collabs.
Hosting a touring bartender or brand-takeover night needs £3k to £15k of marketing, GiF/menu print, social production. Pays back in the post-event reputational lift but eats cash.
MCA bridges the marketing investment. Direct revenue from the night plus longer-term ATV lift feed card takings. Often run quarterly to keep the venue in conversation.
Here's what it actually costs.
An independent cocktail bar borrows £18,000 for premium spirit stock and ice-machine upgrade. Monthly card takings: £55,000. £18,000. Average monthly card takings £55,000. Fixed cost 1.2. 13% daily repayment % on card sales, total cost £3,600.
These figures are illustrative. If a term loan or asset finance fits your situation better, we'll tell you.
Open the fixed cost calculator →Work out the real cost.
New businesses typically start at a higher daily % and a shorter term.
Illustrative only, not a quote.
- Advance£18,000
- vs card takings33%
- Fixed cost1.20
- Daily repayment£235
- Avg monthly£7,150
- Est. term3.0 months
Illustrative. The fixed cost is set on day one; daily repayment varies with takings. Term capped at 18 months.
Illustrative only, not a quote. Every figure here is subject to the funder. Funders advance anywhere from 100% up to 150% of monthly card takings, so 150% is not guaranteed, and the fixed cost is not guaranteed either. Your actual advance, fixed cost and terms depend on the funder and your business profile.
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Apply with these numbersCocktail bars, quick answers.
It's normal for cocktail bars and lenders are familiar. Concentrated trading days don't matter as long as the weekly total is consistent. Daily repayment % takes naturally during trading days.
Funding options for cocktail bars
Cocktail bars take a near-total card mix, weekend trade especially. A merchant cash advance, or MCA (also called a PDQ cash advance or card machine loan) lets you turn those high-ticket evenings into working capital for refit, glassware, or stock. Repayments flex with daily takings. Advances from £10,000 to £1,000,000. See PDQ cash advance →
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