Fort Collins is the Larimer County seat and home to Colorado State University, and its restaurant economy runs on students, a strong local workforce and some of the best-known breweries in the country. Restaurant Finance Network helps Fort Collins owners submit one application that a broker shops to banks, credit unions and private lenders.
Fort Collins at a glance
- Population: 171,500 (U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 estimate for July 1, 2025; 169,810 in the 2020 Census).
- County: Larimer.
- Where the dining is: Old Town and Old Town Square, Linden Street and the River District north of downtown, the CSU campus edge along College Avenue, and the redeveloped Foothills area in the south.
- SBA coverage: the SBA Colorado District Office in Denver, roughly 65 miles south on I-25.
Beer, students and Old Town
Visit Fort Collins calls the city Colorado’s craft beer capital and lists 26 breweries in town. New Belgium Brewing on Linden Street and Odell Brewing on East Lincoln Avenue are the names most visitors know, and CooperSmith’s Pub & Brewing in Old Town Square, which opened in 1989, is the oldest. Events such as New Belgium’s Tour de Fat and Oktoberfest celebrations add peaks to the calendar, and taprooms compete for the same patio customers as restaurants.
Colorado State University sets the rhythm for many kitchens near campus. Move-in week, home football games at Canvas Stadium and graduation weekends bring surges, while summer break and the winter holidays thin out student traffic. Old Town is less tied to the academic calendar because locals and day-trippers fill its patios, but winter evenings still run slower than July.
Old Town’s historic commercial buildings also matter for financing. Many are older brick structures where a new restaurant may need ventilation, grease interceptor or accessibility upgrades before opening, and those costs should be built into any loan request alongside equipment and opening inventory.
Financing options Fort Collins owners use
- Brewery financing for brewhouses, fermenters, canning lines and taproom build-outs.
- Working capital loans to bridge the summer and holiday dips near campus.
- Equipment financing for ovens, hoods and walk-in coolers, with the equipment serving as collateral.
- Construction and renovation loans for upgrading historic Old Town spaces.
- SBA loans when you are buying an existing restaurant or brewery and want a longer term.
Taking a Fort Collins concept on the road
Northern Colorado is growing quickly, and a concept that works in Old Town often looks next at Loveland, Windsor or the south end of Fort Collins itself. Expansion loans are designed for that second unit. Lenders will review the first location’s deposits, how long it has been open and its existing debt, then compare that with the new site’s budget. Operators running several taprooms or restaurants may also want to read about multi-location restaurant financing.
Licensing and resources
The City of Fort Collins City Clerk’s Office manages liquor licensing inside city limits and works with the Liquor Licensing Authority. New applicants usually gather neighborhood petitions within boundaries the Clerk’s Office sets, and the petitions must reach the office before the hearing. Approved files move on to the Colorado Liquor Enforcement Division, and the city issues its license once the state license, occupation tax and certificate of occupancy are in place. Free business advising is available from the Colorado SBDC serving Larimer County, hosted by Front Range Community College on South Shields Street.
Questions owners ask
Can I finance brewing equipment for a Fort Collins taproom?
Yes. Brewhouses, fermentation tanks, glycol systems and canning lines are tangible assets, so many lenders finance them through equipment loans or leases secured by the equipment. Lenders will ask for vendor quotes, recent bank statements and production or sales history if the brewery is already open. A new brewery may need more owner equity than an established one.
How do Fort Collins restaurants handle the CSU summer slowdown?
Many campus-area operators keep a business line of credit or a working capital loan sized to cover payroll, rent and inventory between May and August. Others plan catering or event revenue for the slow months. Lenders like to see that past slow seasons were survivable, so bank statements from a full year can strengthen an application.
Do I need neighborhood petitions for a Fort Collins liquor license?
Usually, yes, for a new license. The City Clerk’s Office defines the neighborhood boundaries, and you or a petitioning service collect signatures showing whether residents and businesses support the license. The results go to the Clerk’s Office at least ten days before the Liquor Licensing Authority hearing. State review by the Colorado Liquor Enforcement Division comes after local approval.
Nearby cities
Back to the Colorado hub, or explore Loveland, Windsor and Greeley. Ready to see options? Check what you qualify for.