Bars, taverns and pubs in Winona County, Minnesota can send funding requests through Fernharbor Capital. This page covers equipment, remodels, patios and pub purchases, the city liquor license in a funding file, and Census counts.
At a glance
- Drinking places, Winona County, MN
Drinking places (bars and taverns), Winona County, MN: 27 employer establishments, 311 paid employees (CBP 2023)
- Drinking places with a ZIP 55987 address
Drinking places with a ZIP 55987 address (Winona, MN area): 18 employers (ZBP 2023)
- Drinking places, payroll, Winona County, MN
Drinking places, Winona County, MN: $3.2 million annual payroll (CBP 2023)
Bar Business Financing Options: What Winona, MN Bar and Tavern Owners Should Know
Bar business financing options line up with what the money buys. A draft system, coolers, ice machines and a sound system are equipment. A patio, a new back bar or a remodel is a project that suits a term loan. Beverage orders and wages through a slow month are working capital or a line draw. Buying an existing bar is a term loan sized to the purchase agreement.
Drinking places counted 27 employer establishments in Winona County, MN in 2023, 18 of them with a ZIP 55987 address (Census County Business Patterns 2023 and ZIP Business Patterns).
Pub Business Loan for a Winona, MN Bar: Bar Coolers and Slow-Season Payroll
A pub business loan for bar coolers is a small equipment request with the coolers as security. Payroll through a slower season is a different request: a line draw or a short working capital loan, repaid from the busier months. The bank statements show a partner the pattern across the year, so a full year of deposits belongs with the request.
Drinking places in Winona County, MN paid $3.2 million in wages in 2023, and 7 of the 27 had fewer than five employees (Census County Business Patterns).
Pub Business Loans: How a Winona County, MN Bar Puts One to Work on a Remodel
A remodel is the clearest case for a pub business loan on a fixed schedule: a contractor bid, a known budget and finishes that last for years. Weeks of reduced sales during the work can sit on a small working capital request beside it.
Illustration only, invented figures: a Winona County tavern adds a patio for $68,000, financed at an annual rate of 9.5% over 84 months: about $1,111 a month and $25,357 of interest in this example. A $14,000 draft system financed separately at 11% over 36 months adds about $458 a month in this example.
How to Finance Buying a Pub in Winona, MN, From the Sound System to the License
Financing the purchase of a pub covers more than the room: the bar equipment, the sound system and kitchen gear, the lease or the building, and the business itself. A partner reviewing the purchase reads the seller’s tax returns and sales records, the equipment list and the buyer’s finances. In Minnesota the license does not simply pass to the buyer; the City of Winona handles liquor license applications through the City Clerk with City Council approval (winonamn.gov, checked 2026-10-24). The Minnesota liquor license guide covers the steps.
Business Loans to Buy a Pub Explained With a Winona County, MN Bar Buying Kitchen Fryers
Business loans to buy a pub with a kitchen add the kitchen equipment to the purchase: fryers, a flat-top, coolers and the hood. A partner may value the kitchen equipment separately from the bar and the building, so an itemized equipment list from the seller helps. Fryers that need replacing soon after the purchase can be financed as new equipment instead. A buyer can ask the seller for the service records on the hood and the walk-in, since a repair due in the first year changes how much working capital the purchase needs.
Drinking Places in the Winona County, MN Census Counts
Drinking places (NAICS 7224) counted 27 employer establishments with 311 paid employees in Winona County, MN in 2023, about $10,225 in payroll per employee (Census County Business Patterns 2023; per-employee figure is our arithmetic). Drinking places without paid employees numbered 5 in 2024 (Nonemployer Statistics 2024), a separate count. Restaurants that also serve alcohol are counted as restaurants, on the restaurant page.
The City Liquor License in a Winona, MN Bar Funding File
A bar’s liquor license is tied to the owner and the premises, so a partner reading a bar request checks that it is current and in the right name. City of Winona licenses run July 1 to June 30, and applications need a certificate of liquor liability insurance among other items (City of Winona liquor license process, checked 2026-10-24). A remodel that changes the licensed area may need the city’s attention as well. Working capital loans and equipment financing are the next pages to read.
For the tavern kitchen, there is a longer article on paying for a restaurant or tavern kitchen update.
By Fernharbor Capital · Updated
