Frequently asked questions

No. Taking our readiness quiz, using the valuation calculator, or even submitting the confidential intake form doesn't commit you to anything. Many owners use these tools years before they're seriously considering a sale, just to understand where they stand. Nothing becomes public, and nothing is binding, at any point until you sign an actual purchase agreement.

Yes — most owners we talk to are years away from an actual sale. The Succession Readiness Quiz is built specifically for this stage: it takes a few minutes and gives you a directional sense of where you stand, without asking for any restaurant-identifying information.

That's a completely valid outcome, and we're glad to help you think it through — including how to have that conversation with family members, what a fair internal sale structure looks like, and tax considerations specific to family transfers. Read more in How to Talk to Your Kids About Not Taking Over.

The readiness quiz, valuation calculator, and educational resources are free, with no obligation. We're the party interested in acquiring your restaurant directly — there's no fee for talking with us, and no fee for any of the resources on this site. If we reach a purchase agreement, the price and terms are negotiated directly between us, the same as any other direct sale.

Only our internal team. We're not a matchmaking service, so your information is never shared with outside buyers or third parties — it stays with the people directly evaluating your restaurant for a potential purchase, and only with your consent.

Yes. Nothing you submit is listed publicly or searchable. This is one of the main reasons owners come to us instead of a public business-for-sale marketplace.

From a serious conversation to closing, most restaurant sales take four to nine months, depending heavily on financing — an SBA-financed purchase typically adds several weeks compared to an all-cash deal. Add more time on top of that for liquor license and health permit transfers, which run in parallel but don't always finish by closing day. See our full step-by-step process for a stage-by-stage breakdown, or SBA Loans, Explained for Sellers and What Happens to Your Liquor License for the specific timelines behind those numbers.

You'll want your own attorney representing your interests specifically — we don't provide legal representation, since that would be a conflict with our role. We can point you toward attorneys in our local network who are experienced in Louisiana restaurant and hospitality transactions.

This is entirely part of the negotiation, and worth raising early — many owners care as much about staff continuity as about price. We can help you think through how to structure a transition period, and whether selling to a staff member yourself might be the right fit — see Selling to Staff: What It Actually Takes.