What type of businesses do you sell?

We sell all different types of food service industry businesses. Including but not limited to: Bakeries, Bars, Breweries, Café/Coffee Houses, Catering Businesses, Convenience Stores, Drive Thru Restaurants, Franchise Restaurants, Frozen Yogurt/Ice Cream Shops, Food Trucks, Fast Service/Grab & Go, Full-Service Restaurants, Juice Bars, Pizzeria’s, Nightclubs, etc. and Related Commercial Buildings.

Do you sell real estate?

Yes, we sell Commercial Buildings that are related to the Food Service Industry. These can be sold with or without an existing business.  Many of these types of properties are Mixed-Use properties and may have other Retail, Residential, Office, Industrial space and/or Undeveloped Land as part of the property.

Do I have to work exclusively with Restaurant Realty once I sign up with you?

Yes, our Representation Agreement is exclusive. If you choose to work with another agency at the same time, you would owe a commission to each agency that you have an active listing agreement with. We do not take on any listings that another agency is representing.

How long does your exclusive Representation Agreement run?

Our Representation agreements run for 6 months and have a 6 month roll over period. We structure them this way because we want to have you signed up for long enough to find you a qualified buyer and  get through the sales and escrow process. These transactions take time to complete. Breaking this into two, six (6) month periods gives you the option to end the agreement after the first six (6) months if you desire. You would send us a certified letter no later than thirty days before the initial expiration date of the representation agreement stating that you wish to terminate the listing after the initial listing expiration date expires. 

How much does it cost to sell my business with you?

Our fee is $17,000 for new listings with a sales price of $100,000 or less. 

For new listings with a sales price of $101,000 or more our fee is the greater of $17,000 or 10% of the sales price. We do cooperate with other brokers that have had experience selling confidential food and beverage businesses.

If we don’t sell your business, there is no fee. We only collect a fee from you when we sell your business upon the close of escrow unless there is a violation of our representation agreement.

How do you come up with a Listing Price for my business?

We will prepare a Broker Opinion of Value based on your business. We have two methods that we utilize.  For businesses that are profitable we use the Going Concern Method which is a multiple of Sellers Discretionary Earnings and other factors.  For businesses that are marginally profitable or not profitable, we utilize the Assets in Place Method which is based on our history of sales comps relating to the average sales price as a percent of the businesses sales. Your listing agent will provide you with a Broker Opinion of Value that you can review and discuss. If your business includes Real Estate, we do a separate valuation on the Real Estate and combine the two values to determine a listing price.

How do you find buyers for my business?

We use a combination of marketing methods to get the word out about your business for sale. One of our strongest tools is our current database of 70,000+ registered buyers that we can communicate with weekly through our weekly e-newsletter that advertises our new, featured and price reduced listings. Another major driver is our website, www.restaurantrealty.com, which has consistently received hundreds of thousands of visitors annually, generating millions of page views to our listings since going online in 1998. Restaurant Realty Company provides more comprehensive exposure on the Internet than any other restaurant brokerage in the country and we are constantly updating it to stay up with the most recent trends to maximize results for our clients.  We will also advertise your business on ten (10) additional Business for Sale websites.  We also purchase key words for pay per click exposure in the major markets we service.  Additionally, we utilize the most sophisticated Search Engine Optimization (SEO) tools and advertise on major social media platforms including Linkedin, Facebook and Instagram.

How do you keep my listing confidential?

We create a blind listing profile describing the general attributes of your business in detail without revealing the business location or any features that would give away your business identity.  We take confidentiality very seriously, consequently before a prospective buyer is given the name and address of your location, they must sign a confidentiality agreement and are screened regarding their operational and financial background. In some cases, a seller or landlord may have specific criteria that a buyer must meet before receiving any information about the business. In those cases, we will screen buyers to see if they meet the criteria and only if they do, then they will receive the information.

Do you have any non-confidential listings?

Yes, we do have a number of sellers that choose to sell with us on a non-confidential basis for our reach, professionalism and experience.  The listing profile will typically contain the business name and/or address. If a buyer would like to schedule a back of house tour or receive any documents on the business, we will have them sign a confidentiality agreement. We do this because they will receive information from us and/or the seller that is meant to be kept confidential.

I have a liquor license that is part of my business, do you handle the transfer during the sale?

Yes, we will work with you and the buyer on completing all of the documents, submitting to the appropriate government agencies and will help guide you through any additional requests for documentation or issues that may come up with the different agencies involved. We are involved with the transfer of the liquor license until the transfer is complete and escrow has closed.