SilverChef Rentals

Growing Smarter

The Hospitality Financier Built by Operators—for Operators

Forty years after an audacious bet on conveyor pizza ovens, SilverChef has grown into the leading hospitality equipment financier across Australia, New Zealand, and Canada (via EconoLease), with a fast-rising presence in the United States. Its signature Rent-Try-Buy model—born from a founder’s near-disaster and customer-led design—remains a uniquely flexible way for hospitality entrepreneurs to start and scale.

“We’re designed—by definition—to help hospitality owners who find it hard to access capital,” says Jeremy Mangan, SilverChef’s CEO. “When banks say no or make the bar too high, our model lowers the cost of entry and gives venues room to adapt.”

An accidental invention that changed an industry

The origin story is pure hospitality grit. In the 1980s, founder Allan English ran a hospitality equipment dealership in Brisbane. Hearing Pizza Hut would roll out a new class of conveyor ovens, he mortgaged everything (without telling his wife), prepaid for containers of ovens, and waited. Then the call: the rollout would be delayed a year.

With the bank circling and sheds full of ovens, English went door-to-door to independent pizzerias. They loved the equipment but not the $25,000 price tag. One sleepless night later, he pitched a simple idea: rent the oven now; if you like it, buy it later. Operators bit. Then they asked for more: rebate part of the rent toward purchase, upgrade to larger units, swap out under-performing gear. English kept saying yes—and Rent-Try-Buy took shape.

Competitors watched on with interest as English used the program to win share on dishwashers, ice machines, and more. So he wound down his dealership and invited other dealers to use Rent-Try-Buy to sell more equipment. What began as a survival hack became a scalable two-sided GTM: dealers gained a conversion driver and the ability to build longer term customer value; operators got affordable and flexible access to mission-critical assets; SilverChef created a sustainable, profitable product, co-designed with dealers to specifically support the unique business drivers of hospitality.

From ASX listing to global footprint

SilverChef spent years on the ASX before being taken private by Next Capital roughly five years ago, a move that recapitalized the company and reset growth. About 11–12 years ago, the business expanded to New Zealand and Canada (acquiring and trading as EconoLease), and two years ago it launched in the U.S.

“Early signs in America are strong,” Mangan says. “Our value proposition resonates with equipment dealers—our core channel—and with operators who want options beyond traditional bank finance.”

Today, the company employs ‾350 people globally.

B Corp before it was cool

SilverChef became a B Corp in 2015—“when B Corp wasn’t on every corporate slide,” Mangan jokes—and completed re-accreditation recently with a high score. The certification brought structure to a culture of doing good seeded by founder Allan English’s philanthropy.

The company’s anchor partner is Opportunity International, where SilverChef is one of the charity’s largest individual corporate contributor. The focus: microloans to women living in poverty in lower income countries (e.g., Indonesia, India, and—through Opportunity’s U.S.—in Latin and South America) to start and grow micro-enterprises such as kiosks or small livestock operations. Staff make weekly donations that SilverChef matches, compounding impact.

Closer to home, B Corp shows up as policy and program:

• Volunteer Leave: Paid days for employees to serve local charities (e.g., AusHarvest in Australia).
• Community Equip: Refurbished or returned equipment offered to not-for-profits that run food services, with very low rates and fast approvals that banks typically won’t touch.
• Community Grants: Quarterly cash grants to grassroots organizations across all operating regions.

Culture: authenticity, courageous, united and optimistic

SilverChef’s culture is intentionally people-first. “Values aren’t wall art,” Mangan says. “We want a place where people show up as themselves. Authenticity unlocks curiosity, and curiosity unlocks performance.”

Every few months, executives host onboarding conversations with new hires to listen—not lecture. Three themes recur:

1. Be yourself – Psychological safety to contribute ideas and dissent.
2. Stay curious – Learn the operator’s reality; design products and processes around it.
3. Help – A practical impulse to help new starters, colleagues, customers, and communities—and then do what you say you’ll do.

It matches Mangan’s own arc. A former chef (“a hospitality tragic,” he laughs), he moved from kitchens to selling frozen seafood, then to leading a commercial equipment dealership specialising in kitchen design and fitout, where he first encountered Rent-Try-Buy. He kept telling operators about it, English took notice, and eight years later—after key commercial roles in sales, marketing,certified use and operations—Mangan was asked to become CEO. “I feel lucky every day,” he says. “It’s a company built by and for hospitality people. Our industry are creative and passionate about their craft and that’s what drives them to success, we love being a part of their journey.”

Why the model works in today’s market

Access to capital remains tough across geographies. Many operators—especially start-ups or multi-site growers—struggle to secure bank finance for equipment or to manage cash-intensive upgrades. SilverChef’s model addresses three friction points:

• Lower cost of entry – Operators rent essential equipment now, preserving cash for hiring, fit-out, and marketing.
• Flexibility – If an asset under-performs, swap or return; if demand jumps, upgrade.
• Path to ownership – If the asset proves its worth, purchase later, with a portion of rent rebated toward the price.

The result: customers can move faster, course-correct sooner, and protect cash flow. “Headlines often promote doom and gloom,” Mangan notes. “But our portfolio tells a more nuanced story: our customers are operating, adapting, and growing. The combination of flexibility and asset utility keeps them in the game.”

EconoLease in Canada, momentum in the U.S.

In Canada, SilverChef operates as EconoLease, where Rent-Try-Buy continues to gain ground with dealers and venues. “There’s a huge runway for the core product,” Mangan says. In the U.S., the company has spent two years refining its go-to-market and partner ecosystem. “Dealers view us as a conversion tool; operators view us as a growth enabler. That alignment is our flywheel.”

The next 3–5 years: scale where the model sings

When looking ahead it is clear that Mangan is focused on clearly defined objectives that he summarizes as focusing on:

• United States: Aggressively expand dealer partnerships and regional coverage; translate ANZ/Canada playbooks to U.S. sub-markets.
• Canada (EconoLease): Deepen penetration of Rent-Try-Buy with national and regional dealers; support multi-site growth and upgrades.
• Australia & New Zealand: Increase reach across independent venues and emerging groups; continue to be the premier hospitality finance partner.
• Impact: Grow Opportunity International contributions with staff matching; scale Community Equip and Community Grants across all regions.
• Capability: Keep hiring people who know hospitality and live the culture.

As Mangan has shed light on, growth is on the horizon for SilverChef and the work that the company is undertaking form the best ingredients for future success in the culinary industry.

AT A GLANCE:

Name: SilverChef

What: A culinary success story utilizing the unique Rent-Try-Buy finance model helping hospitality owners access much-needed equipment.

Where: Headquartered in Brisbane, Australia with operations across AU, NZ, CA and US.

Website: www.silverchef.com.au

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