Look for low-cost restaurant chains While they tend to be more expensive than other franchise opportunities, restaurant franchises don't have to cost you an arm and a leg.

I recommend:  To browse restaurant franchise opportunities by cost, visit franchise websites like FoodFranchise.com where you can find a list of restaurant chains in your price range. Among the opportunities you’ll find are restaurant chains like California Quivers, Cuppy’s Coffee and Pizza Inn, which can require an initial investment of less than $50,000.

Search for restaurant chains by food type No matter what kind of food you fancy -- American, Italian, Mexican, Chinese -- there's a food franchise for you.

I recommend:  Franchise directories like FranchiseGator and FranchiseDirect are indexed by cuisine; visit them in order to browse a list of restaurant chains that’s organized by menu type.

Find restaurant chains by location While the most visible restaurant chains have a nationwide footprint, some of the most lucrative restaurant franchises are confined only to certain cities, states or regions.

I recommend:  Use RestaurantFranchise.com’s State Search to find a list of restaurant chains and restaurant franchise opportunities in your area.

Choose restaurant chains by service model No matter your speed, there is a food franchise to match it; choose from full-service, quick-service and fast-casual restaurant chains.

I recommend:  If you’re interested in full-service restaurant chains, consider fast-growing restaurant franchises like Bandana’s Bar-B-Q, Cafe Fondue, City Wok and Rockin’ Baja Lobster. Meanwhile, if you’re looking for a faster service experience, look at unique fast and fast-casual restaurant franchise opportunities like Cereality, The Counter, San Francisco Bread Co., Spicy Pickle, Which Wich and Zoup!, all of which are growing rapidly in presence and popularity.

Select restaurant chains by name If you're the type of business owner who already knows which food franchise you want to own, go straight to the source and find out what you've got to do to get it.

I recommend:  If you’ve already got a food franchise in mind, look for it in Restaurants & Institutions’ list of the Top 400 Restaurant Chains or in Entrepreneur.com’s Franchise 500, both of which rank the country’s most successful franchise opportunities; among the top 10 in 2007 were several restaurant chains, including Subway, Dunkin’ Donuts, Domino’s Pizza, Sonic Drive In Restaurants, McDonald’s and Papa John’s Pizza.