A popular brewery and taproom in Bradenton already facing eviction as part of a foreclosure lawsuit has also defaulted on two cash advances from private capital groups, court records show.
Liens have been placed on Motorworks Brewing by two capital groups that claim the brewery defaulted on a pair of merchant cash advances, or MCAs, totaling $159,578.75, Manatee County court records show.
A merchant cash advance is a lump-sum payment that a business receives in exchange for a percentage of future revenues. The transaction is also called revenue-based financing.
Merchant cash advances are considered more appealing to struggling businesses with lower credit scores than a regular loan. Though cash can be obtained in a day, the cost of borrowing is usually high, and terms of repayment are not always easily defined. MCAs are generally regulated under state commercial and contract laws.
Records show Motorworks defaulted on an advance April 1, 2026, and owed $58,110 to Alo Capital Group, which is registered in Florida and based in Aventura.
Motorworks also owed $101,468.75 to Velocity Capital Group, which is a foreign-registered entity based in New York. Court records indicate Velocity Capital Group has filed a lawsuit against Motorworks. It is unclear if Alo Capital has done the same.
Motorworks Brewing was named as a defendant in a foreclosure lawsuit filed May 21 by Seacoast National Bank, according to court documents. Seacoast is seeking repayment of four loans made to Motorworks between 2017 and 2022, totaling $1,901,384.84, plus interest and late fees, records show.
The bank is also asking the court to sell the property and evict the tenants.
Motorworks Brewing LLC and Princess T LLC are among the defendants named in the foreclosure lawsuit. Frank Tschida is listed as the sole director in both companies, state records show. Frank Tschida and Denise Tschida are also named individually in the lawsuit. Court records indicate they divorced in 2024.
What is Bradenton’s Motorworks famous for?
Motorworks Brewing, located at 1014 Ninth St. W., near LECOM Stadium, has been in business since 2014 and is widely credited as Manatee County’s first modern craft brewery.
In addition to its award-winning craft beer, Motorworks is also known for the 150-year-old oak tree on its 27,000-square-foot property.
Motorworks has a taproom, beer garden, full-liquor bar with cocktail menu, covered stage for outdoor live music and food offerings from Blue Water Catering and Wilder’s Pizza.
In March, Motorworks Brewing was named as the ninth best beer garden in USA TODAY’s 10BEST Readers’ Choice Awards.
The brewery previously earned national attention for beer can art featuring adoptable dogs, appearing on ‘”The Ellen DeGeneres Show” in 2020.
Motorworks in Bradenton is its flagship location, with taprooms also existing in Tampa and at the Sarasota Bradenton International Airport.
The Orlando Business Journal reported that Motorworks in Orlando closed on May 26.
How does a merchant cash advance work?
In January 2026, Frank Tschida signed a cash advance agreement with Velocity Capital.
Records show Velocity purchased 4.8 percent of Motorworks’ revenue for $80,000. The total purchase amount was $112,800. Under the agreement, Motorworks was to pay Velocity $3,525 each Monday.
The specifics of the agreement between Motorworks and ALO Capital Group are not known.
Both capital groups hold Uniform Commercial Code liens, or UCC-1 liens, against Motorworks. A UCC-1 lien, or legal statement, provides public notice that one business has a security interest in the assets of another business.
Who are the two capital groups?
Alo Capital Group LLC has been in existence since 2024, state records show.
The company lists Simba the Alcoholic and Funding Bros LLC as the directors. It is not clear who Simba the Alcoholic is, though an Aventura address is listed for the person. Funding Bros is located in Beachwood, Ohio, and a four-bedroom home is listed as the address for the business.
Velocity Capital has been in business since 2018 and is based in New York. On its website, the company says a merchant must have a minimum of $20,000 in monthly revenue and a FICO credit score of at least 500.
How were Motorworks’ financial troubles revealed?
Motorworks’ latest problems came to light through a court filing by Gold Coast Eagle Distributing, which is based in Sarasota and sells and markets domestic, foreign and craft beers.
Gold Coast Distributing holds invoices payable to Motorworks in the amount of $12,348.11, records show, and because Gold Coast is unsure which party should receive the money, it filed a complaint for interpleader with the Manatee County court.
Motorworks, Alo Capital and Velocity Capital each claim entitlement to Motorworks’ receivables, and Gold Coast Distributing is seeking clarification as to where the payment should be directed. Gold Coast Distributing also wants to ensure it is not paying two parties.
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This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Popular Bradenton brewery faces new financial troubles
Reporting by Chris Anderson, Sarasota Herald-Tribune / Sarasota Herald-Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
