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Jacksonville, Morgan County

Jacksonville Catering Company for Sale

A catering company in Jacksonville is priced on adjusted seller’s discretionary earnings after a buyer compares this book to Springfield — 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 Jacksonville file. Confidential sale. No upfront listing fee.

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Jacksonville market

Selling a catering company in Jacksonville

A catering company in Jacksonville is priced on adjusted seller’s discretionary earnings after a buyer compares this book to Springfield — 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 Jacksonville file.

Jacksonville is Morgan County’s seat on I-72 — Illinois College, hospital and institutional employers, and a western Illinois civic city, not Springfield and not Quincy.

College, hospital, and (historically) institutional vendor contracts may not assign; campus-facing books have an academic year. Farm-service is the other economy, and Springfield and Quincy-corridor operators buy here. MacMurray’s closure is a reminder to underwrite today’s enrollment and employers, not yesterday’s.

Jacksonville has about 18,940 residents in Morgan County, inside the Jacksonville area. Nearby markets buyers already compare this book to include Springfield, Beardstown, Carlinville. That comparison changes who shows up: a buyer who will drive from Springfield 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
Morgan County
Population
18,940
Metro
Jacksonville
Nearby comps
Springfield, Beardstown, Carlinville
Closing clock
Illinois CBS-1 (10 business days). No Chicago 45-day city notice unless the business also operates in Chicago
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Morgan County demand

Western Illinois demand

Peoria, Quincy, Galesburg, and river-industrial towns underwrite customer concentration (OEM, hospital, campus) before anyone argues a multiple.

The first call is usually an operator on I-74 or the river, not a coastal fund.

Jacksonville demand for catering companies is the customer list and the license path — not the Census population figure. About 18,940 residents is context for who already lives in the trade area. It is not a sale price.

Catering Company in Jacksonville

What a Jacksonville buyer will underwrite on this catering company

Food and liquor in Jacksonville close on the lease and the local board as often as they close on prime cost. Morgan County health and — if the room pours — local-control liquor are Jacksonville clocks, not a statewide multiple. Neighbors already compare this room to Springfield, Beardstown, Carlinville.

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 Jacksonville shop. Buyers here usually argue corporate account contracts, event calendar bookings, equipment, staff stability.

Closing clock for this Jacksonville 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 Jacksonville application of it.

Jacksonville is a regional market. The first serious call is often an owner-operator from Springfield, Beardstown, Carlinville, not a platform that needs $2 million of earnings to pay for diligence. SBA 7(a) and seller financing usually matter more here than a headline multiple.

Buyer pool

Who buys a catering company in Jacksonville

Springfield and Quincy-corridor operators.

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 Springfield, Beardstown, Carlinville is a larger business than one that stops at the Jacksonville city limit. Tell the truth about the route. Buyers will map it.

SDE recast

How a buyer will read the books on this Jacksonville 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 Jacksonville shop. A catering company whose tax return shows $97,000 of net profit is not worth $97,000 × a rumor multiple.

Add back the owner’s $86,000 W-2 and payroll tax, $16,000 of discretionary benefits, $2,000 of accepted one-time cost, and $14,500 of personal expenses that a buyer will not run. Then subtract $10,000 of replacement labor if the owner still diagnoses, sells, or closes the books.

Adjusted seller’s discretionary earnings are $205,000. At the planning range 2.0x–3.5x, enterprise value is $410,000 to $717,500. Mid-range 2.75x is $563,750 before debt, working capital, holdback, and tax. A Jacksonville buyer will argue the multiple after they ride with the staff and read the lease.

At 2.75 times $205,000 of seller’s discretionary earnings, enterprise value is $563,750 before debt, working capital, holdback, and tax. That is the planning conversation. It is not a listing-site guess.

SDE line items

  1. Reported net profit (tax return, not the marketing P&L)
  2. + Interest expense
  3. + Income taxes (not payroll, sales, or property tax)
  4. + Depreciation and amortization
  5. + Owner W-2, bonuses, and payroll taxes on the owner
  6. + Discretionary owner benefits that a buyer will not keep (auto, personal travel, family on payroll with no role)
  7. + Accepted one-time or non-recurring expenses
  8. − Market-rate replacement labor for owner work that will not transfer
  9. = Seller’s Discretionary Earnings (SDE)
Illustration recast for a Jacksonville catering company — not a quote
Net profit$97,000
Owner W-2$86,000
Benefits$16,000
One-time$2,000
Personal$14,500
Replacement labor (subtract)−$10,000
Recast SDE$205,000
Planning EV at 2.75x$563,750

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.

$
1x 3.0x 8x
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.

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Morgan County closing

Licenses and closing steps for a Jacksonville sale

Morgan (Jacksonville) uses state CBS-1. Institutional (college, prison, hospital) vendor contracts may not assign.

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 Jacksonville

For a catering company in Jacksonville, the first labor question is: Multi-year corporate or institution contracts.

Illinois College and healthcare support professional services. Farm-service is the other book.

I-72 west of Springfield. Two demand stories: campus/hospital and agriculture.

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 Jacksonville 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 Jacksonville 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.

$
%
%
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 Jacksonville catering company for sale

  1. Recast this Jacksonville catering company. Start with the tax return. Add owner pay. Subtract replacement labor if the seller still does the work a Jacksonville buyer must hire. Do not treat a spike year as the new normal.
  2. Name who can operate on Monday. List every credential that lets this catering company pull a permit or see a patient in Jacksonville, and whether that person stays. Personal licenses do not transfer with the assets.
  3. Tell the truth about the Jacksonville 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 Jacksonville limit.
  4. Open the lease and the labor file. Remaining term and assignment in Morgan County. Whether the crew can run without the seller living eight minutes away.
  5. 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.
  6. Read the statewide playbook, then talk. The Illinois catering companies hub is the statute and recast teaching. This page is the Jacksonville file. Confidential consult — no upfront listing fee.
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Questions

Questions about catering companies in Jacksonville

Answers for owners and buyers in Morgan County, including local closing steps.

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Catering Company Brokerage Near Jacksonville

We serve catering companies owners and buyers across Morgan County and the surrounding region.

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