Commercial ovens, refrigeration, coffee machines, kitchen fit-outs — major equipment doesn't have to drain your cash. Compare chattel mortgages, rental agreements and hospitality-specialist lenders with upfront cost vs flexibility in mind.
Before comparing lenders, understand the structure. The right structure depends on whether you want to own the equipment outright, preserve cash flow, access tax benefits, or maintain flexibility to upgrade.
| Structure | Own equipment? | Tax benefit | Flexibility | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chattel Mortgage | ✓ From day one | Depreciation + interest deductible | Low — fixed term | Equipment you'll keep 5+ years |
| Finance Lease | ✗ Lender owns it | Lease payments deductible | Medium | Tech that becomes outdated quickly |
| Rental (e.g. SilverChef/Flexikitch) | Option to buy | Rental payments deductible | High — upgrade anytime | New venues, testing equipment first |
| Operating Lease | ✗ | Lease payments deductible | Medium | Keeping equipment off balance sheet |
| Hire Purchase | ✓ At end of term | Depreciation + interest | Low | Gradual ownership — lower upfront |
Hospitality-specialist finance providers understand seasonal cash flow, early-stage trading, and equipment that wears hard. They typically approve faster and require less financial history than traditional banks.
SilverChef is Australia's most well-known hospitality equipment finance specialist, with over 30 years experience funding commercial kitchens. Unlike banks, SilverChef assesses approval based on business performance rather than trading history, making it accessible to new venues and operators who don't yet have two years of financials. Their Rent-Try-Buy model lets you test equipment before committing to ownership. After renting, you can buy outright, upgrade to newer equipment, or return it.
Flexikitch specialises in commercial kitchen equipment rental and finance for Australian hospitality and retail businesses. No upfront cost — just a deposit and weekly rental fee. After three years of rental the equipment is yours. Alternatively, rent-to-own purchase is available after 12 months. Flexikitch also provides ongoing servicing priority for rented equipment, which reduces maintenance headaches for operators.
Traditional banks offer chattel mortgages and commercial leases for hospitality equipment, often at competitive interest rates for established businesses with 2+ years of trading history and property security. The limitation is approval speed (often weeks not days) and stricter requirements than hospitality-specialist lenders. For established venues with strong financials, a bank chattel mortgage can be the cheapest long-term option. For newer venues, a specialist lender is typically more accessible.
Tell us what equipment you need and your trading history. We'll match you to the right lender and get competing quotes.
Get equipment finance quotes