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Home ABA Banking Journal Podcast

Podcast: Accelerating banking for quick-service restaurants

May 8, 2025
Reading Time: 2 mins read
Podcast: Accelerating banking for quick-service restaurants

Wendell Bontrager


As independently owned and operated small businesses, fast-food restaurant franchisees have unique business needs. They have mobile and often part-time workforces, complex inventory management and the constant challenge of managing both a small business and being the face of a major brand. On the latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast — sponsored by Bix2x — Wendell Bontrager talks about how Sonata Bank is working with this unique market segment.

For example, “we can come in at fractional costs to provide them things like telehealth, mobile phone insurance, pet insurance, in a way that is free to the employee but is done and sold through the franchisee,” says Bontrager. He outlines Sonata’s business of lending to “quick-service” restaurants, as they’re often called in the trade, paired with employee benefits, treasury management and a software-as-a-service platform for QSRs.

Bontrager also talks about the health of the Nashville, Tennessee, market where Sonata’s community bank franchise is headquartered and how the organization has been able to capture talent with hybrid and remote workplace offerings.

If you can’t see the audio player above, click here to listen to this week’s episode.

This episode is presented by Bix2X.

In this episode:

Wendell Bontrager
President and CEO
Sonata Bank

Tags: ABA Banking Journal PodcastCareers in bankingLeadershipSmall business lendingTreasury management
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Author

Evan Sparks

Evan Sparks

Evan Sparks is editor-in-chief of the ABA Banking Journal and senior vice president for member communications at the American Bankers Association.

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