A catering company in Algonquin is priced on adjusted seller’s discretionary earnings after a buyer compares this book to Crystal Lake — not on a statewide rumor multiple. Illinois CBS-1 (10 business days). No Chicago 45-day city notice unless the business also operates in Chicago. The statewide catering companies playbook is on the industry hub; this page is the Algonquin file. Confidential sale. No upfront listing fee.
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Algonquin market
Selling a catering company in Algonquin
A catering company in Algonquin is priced on adjusted seller’s discretionary earnings after a buyer compares this book to Crystal Lake — not on a statewide rumor multiple. Illinois CBS-1 (10 business days). No Chicago 45-day city notice unless the business also operates in Chicago. The statewide catering companies playbook is on the industry hub; this page is the Algonquin file.
Algonquin is a Fox River village split by the river between McHenry and Kane, with Randall Road retail on the west and an older east-side downtown.
Confirm which bank and which county the locations sit in — CBS-1 is state, but clerks differ. Randall Road big-box adjacent books and Old Town Algonquin leases are different buyers. Huntley and Lake in the Hills overflow is part of the customer map, not a footnote.
Algonquin has about 32,729 residents in McHenry County, inside the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin area. Nearby markets buyers already compare this book to include Crystal Lake, Carpentersville, Elgin. That comparison changes who shows up: a buyer who will drive from Crystal Lake is not the same buyer who will fly in from a coastal platform.
Planning facts
Typical multiple
2x–3.5x SDE
Typical timeline
6–12 months
SBA eligible
Often — confirm
County
McHenry County
Population
32,729
Metro
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin
Nearby comps
Crystal Lake, Carpentersville, Elgin
Closing clock
Illinois CBS-1 (10 business days). No Chicago 45-day city notice unless the business also operates in Chicago
DuPage, Lake, Kane, Will, McHenry, Kendall, and neighboring collar shops sell on household density and the I-88, I-90, I-94, and I-55 corridors.
There is no Chicago 45-day city notice unless the business also operates in Chicago. Buyers still compare this suburb to the next one on the same highway.
Algonquin demand for catering companies is the customer list and the license path — not the Census population figure. About 32,729 residents is context for who already lives in the trade area. It is not a sale price.
Catering Company in Algonquin
What a Algonquin buyer will underwrite on this catering company
Food and liquor in Algonquin close on the lease and the local board as often as they close on prime cost. McHenry County health and — if the room pours — local-control liquor are Algonquin clocks, not a statewide multiple. Neighbors already compare this room to Crystal Lake, Carpentersville, Elgin.
Catering Companies statewide typically plan around 2x–3.5x SDE and a 6–12 months process when books and the lease are ready. That is a planning range, not a price for this Algonquin shop. Buyers here usually argue corporate account contracts, event calendar bookings, equipment, staff stability.
Closing clock for this Algonquin file: Illinois CBS-1 (10 business days). No Chicago 45-day city notice unless the business also operates in Chicago. License path: County health-department food licenses, commissary approval, and — if they pour — liquor catering permits that are municipal and ILCC issues. The industry hub teaches the statewide rule. This URL is the Algonquin application of it.
In a suburb like Algonquin, chefs, hospitality professionals, restaurants looking to expand are the names that usually appear on the NDA list. A buyer who will drive from Crystal Lake is not the same buyer who will fly in from a coastal platform.
Buyer pool
Who buys a catering company in Algonquin
Owner-operators and neighboring DuPage/Lake strategics. PE is selective — they want enough EBITDA to justify the drive from the city. Seller financing is more common than on the North Shore.
Illustration: a commissary-based caterer in Evanston with two corporate cafeterias, a weekend wedding book, and a seller who still plates every 150-person event. Not a closed sale.
A catering company whose customers already sit in Crystal Lake, Carpentersville, Elgin is a larger business than one that stops at the Algonquin city limit. Tell the truth about the route. Buyers will map it.
SDE recast
How a buyer will read the books on this Algonquin catering company
Catering recasts on contracted corporate and venue calendars, not a single wedding season. Add back owner-chef compensation, then isolate one-off galas and any restaurant cross-subsidy. Deposit timing can make a trailing twelve look richer than the production calendar. If the seller still plates every event, subtract a chef de cuisine.
Illustration only — not a quote for any Algonquin shop. A catering company whose tax return shows $119,000 of net profit is not worth $119,000 × a rumor multiple.
Add back the owner’s $59,000 W-2 and payroll tax, $13,500 of discretionary benefits, $9,500 of accepted one-time cost, and $6,000 of personal expenses that a buyer will not run. Then subtract $27,000 of replacement labor if the owner still diagnoses, sells, or closes the books.
Adjusted seller’s discretionary earnings are $180,000. At the planning range 2.0x–3.5x, enterprise value is $360,000 to $630,000. Mid-range 2.75x is $495,000 before debt, working capital, holdback, and tax. A Algonquin buyer will argue the multiple after they ride with the staff and read the lease.
At 2.75 times $180,000 of seller’s discretionary earnings, enterprise value is $495,000 before debt, working capital, holdback, and tax. That is the planning conversation. It is not a listing-site guess.
SDE line items
Reported net profit (tax return, not the marketing P&L)
+ Interest expense
+ Income taxes (not payroll, sales, or property tax)
+ Depreciation and amortization
+ Owner W-2, bonuses, and payroll taxes on the owner
+ Discretionary owner benefits that a buyer will not keep (auto, personal travel, family on payroll with no role)
+ Accepted one-time or non-recurring expenses
− Market-rate replacement labor for owner work that will not transfer
= Seller’s Discretionary Earnings (SDE)
Illustration recast for a Algonquin catering company — not a quote
Net profit
$119,000
Owner W-2
$59,000
Benefits
$13,500
One-time
$9,500
Personal
$6,000
Replacement labor (subtract)
−$27,000
Recast SDE
$180,000
Planning EV at 2.75x
$495,000
Recast Seller’s Discretionary Earnings, then apply a planning multiple for catering companies.
Replacement labor is subtracted. This is a planning tool, not an appraisal.
Recast SDE—
Planning enterprise value—
Before debt, working-capital peg, holdback, and tax. Educational only.
Enter your annual Seller's Discretionary Earnings (SDE) — your net profit plus owner's salary and any personal expenses run through the business — to estimate a range.
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1x3.0x8x
Estimated Value Range—to—
This is an estimate for planning purposes only. Actual value depends on lease terms, asset quality, customer concentration, and current market conditions. Request a professional valuation for a precise number.
McHenry County uses state CBS-1 and municipal licenses in Crystal Lake, McHenry, Woodstock, and Algonquin. Rural and village zoning can restrict contractor yards and outdoor storage. No Chicago/Cook 45-day local bulk sale.
County health-department food licenses, commissary approval, and — if they pour — liquor catering permits that are municipal and ILCC issues. Chicago shared-kitchen and off-site catering rules are specific. Licenses follow the commissary and the named operator. A garage prep space that was tolerated for the seller will not be tolerated for the buyer.
Labor and lease
What has to keep working on Monday after close in Algonquin
For a catering company in Algonquin, the first labor question is: Multi-year corporate or institution contracts.
Route density drops north and west of Crystal Lake. Winter home-services volume is real; summer landscaping books need snow or other off-season work or buyers will haircut. Huntley and Algonquin lean toward Kane/Cook overflow.
Northwest exurb: growing rooftops, still a farm-and-lake county in the western townships. Do not assume Chicagoland PE interest on a two-truck shop.
Diligence
What a serious catering company buyer will open
Levers that move the multiple in this vertical: Multi-year corporate or institution contracts; A kitchen lead who is not the seller; Legal commissary and transferable health file; Venue relationships on paper; Mix that is not 80 percent Saturday weddings.
Have these ready before anyone hears the name of the Algonquin business: Forward booking calendar and deposit vs remaining performance; Corporate standing-order accounts versus wedding-only demand; Commissary lease, health file, and vehicle wrap/hot-box condition; Staffing model: W-2 kitchen vs event-day 1099 servers; Venue relationships and whether they are personal to the seller; Liquor-catering permissions if alcohol is in the package.
Buyer tool
SBA payment sketch for a Algonquin catering company buyer
Most Illinois owner-operator acquisitions use SBA 7(a). This is a payment sketch, not an approval.
SBA 7(a) loans are the most common financing for business acquisitions. Estimate your monthly payment and required down payment based on the purchase price.
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yrs
Down Payment Required—
Loan Amount—
Est. Monthly Payment—
This calculator provides estimates for planning purposes only. Actual SBA loan terms depend on your credit profile, the specific lender, and current market conditions. Contact us to connect with SBA-approved lenders in Illinois.
Sale steps
How to prepare a Algonquin catering company for sale
Recast this Algonquin catering company. Start with the tax return. Add owner pay. Subtract replacement labor if the seller still does the work a Algonquin buyer must hire. Do not treat a spike year as the new normal.
Name who can operate on Monday. List every credential that lets this catering company pull a permit or see a patient in Algonquin, and whether that person stays. Personal licenses do not transfer with the assets.
Tell the truth about the Algonquin trade area. Map customers against neighboring towns. Buyers will. A book that already covers those towns is larger than a book that stops at the Algonquin limit.
Open the lease and the labor file. Remaining term and assignment in McHenry County. Whether the crew can run without the seller living eight minutes away.
Calendar the notices that apply here. Illinois CBS-1 (10 business days). No Chicago 45-day city notice unless the business also operates in Chicago. Start them at letter of intent, not the week of funding.
Read the statewide playbook, then talk. The Illinois catering companies hub is the statute and recast teaching. This page is the Algonquin file. Confidential consult — no upfront listing fee.
Answers for owners and buyers in McHenry County, including local closing steps.
Buyers start with seller’s discretionary earnings, then apply a planning range around 2x–3.5x SDE. That is a statewide starting point, not an appraisal. The lease, licenses, and how much of the book depends on the owner move the number more than a rumor multiple.
Most prepared Main Street sales take about six to twelve months. Clean books and an assignable lease help. License transfers and landlord consent are what add weeks.
County or city food-establishment licenses sit with the kitchen and the operator. They do not auto-transfer. If you pour, liquor is a separate clock.
Not the same way. Buyers will split contracted corporate accounts from one-off events. A book that dies when the owner stops selling Saturday weddings gets a haircut.
Yes. Buyers sign a non-disclosure agreement before they see the name. Your staff should not learn the sale from a listing photo. Key people may hear near a signed letter of intent.
Most Algonquin asset sales file Illinois Form CBS-1 at least 10 business days before closing. McHenry County does not use Chicago’s 45-day city notice unless the business also operates there. Municipal licenses and the lease still need their own calendar.
Buyers in Algonquin are often SBA owner-operators and neighboring operators along the same corridor. Larger recurring books can draw a platform. They will compare this suburb to the next town in McHenry County.
No. The planning multiple for catering companies is a statewide starting point, not a Algonquin appraisal. Buyers in McHenry County still adjust seller’s discretionary earnings, then argue the lease, licenses, labor, and owner dependency.
Service Area
Catering Company Brokerage Near Algonquin
We serve catering companies owners and buyers across McHenry County and the surrounding region.