Chain restaurants are some of the most popular restaurant franchise opportunities in the world today. They offer a variety of pluses for owners, from brand-name recognition to established menus and advertising. However, before you take the plunge into food franchise opportunities, learn more about trends in the industry, including the leading chain food restaurants, and what's hot and what's not in business.

You can find national restaurant chains information from a variety of sources. Before you buy a chain restaurant, read about the chain, including professional opinions about cost, popularity, and the support the chain offers its franchisees. Check out:

1. Industry associations and their news sites.

2. Restaurant franchise magazines and periodicals.

3. Trends sites that rate top food and restaurant chains.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Dig into the latest chain restaurant news at industry associations and news sites

Some of the best sources for news and information about franchise restaurants and food chains are industry associations. They offer insight into a variety of factors in buying and choosing the right restaurant chain, and their list of members gives an idea of which national or regional restaurant chains offer additional benefits, like association membership, to their franchisees.

I recommend: The National Council of Chain Restaurants (NCCR) offers insight into restaurant franchise news and information, including which national chain restaurants are members of their organization. The National Restaurant Association offers a Restaurant Performance Index every month that includes trends in the chain restaurant industry.

Carve out your niche with restaurant industry magazines and online periodicals

The restaurant business can change on a daily basis. To keep up with the industry and to learn about your favorite restaurant chain opportunities, read industry magazines that offer the latest in restaurant chains news and trends. Many sites offer news about each chain restaurant, as well.

I recommend: The Nation's Restaurant News site offers franchising news that covers just about all aspects of national chain restaurants. QSR Magazine offers news and trends for national and regional chain restaurants. Foodservice.com offers news specifically on the casual dining industry.

Learn about emerging treads at sites that rate top restaurant chains

Another great way to stay on top of food franchise opportunities is to read blogs and trend news at national sites. Blogs often offer the most up-to-the-minute info on chains and their success, and financial news, as well.

I recommend: Chain Leader's Lane Cardwell blogs about the "Top 200: Hot, Then Not," - a look at chain food restaurants whose menus are no longer popular. Restaurant Research conducts research on franchise concepts and benchmarks, along with in-depth industry surveys about some of the leading franchise restaurant chains for sale.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  New restaurant chains seem to enter the market every day, and staying on top of this information is imperative for the professional who wants to invest in franchise restaurant chains for sale. You have to know what concepts are on their way, which are not so popular anymore, and most of all, which one is right for your interests, your market, and your wallet. Don't rush into your chain restaurant franchise choice. Read, read some more, and then get opinions and data from other franchisees in your area before you make your final choice.

Restaurant chains are everywhere. They anchor suburban strip malls, highway rest stops, inner-city street corners and even small towns’ town squares. For consumers, all those restaurant franchises represent an affordable, reliable meal; for entrepreneurs, however, they represent a reliable business opportunity.

Restaurant franchises are an attractive option for would-be business owners. After all, while Mom-and-Pop eateries have a certain charm to them, restaurant chains have plenty of advantages, too. Among them:

1. Restaurant chains offer a developed brand.
2. Restaurant franchises offer an existing customer base.
3. Restaurant franchise opportunities offer proven products and systems.
4. A food franchise offers marketing help and assistance.
5. Restaurant chains offer financial support and group purchasing power.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

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.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Foodservice can be a difficult industry to navigate due to government-mandated health and safety requirements. To help you find your way, look for accountants and lawyers who specialize in restaurant franchises and who have other food franchise clients.
• •  Before entering into a marriage with restaurant chains, consider the commitment. Restaurant franchises often cost more and require a longer work week than many other types of franchises. The rewards, however, can also be much larger.
• •  When it comes to a food franchise, location is key. Be sure you choose a restaurant chain that will help you select the best and most profitable location for your tasty new venture.
• •  Before buying a food franchise, consider talking to existing franchisees. Find out what they love about their investment, what they hate about it and what they wish they'd known before they signed their franchise agreement.

You can find franchise restaurants chains for sale all over the Internet, but a lot of those franchise "help" sites don't tell you what you need to know most when you purchase restaurant chains. How much is it going to cost you in the end? Besides chain start-up costs, there are ongoing charges for a variety of things, from royalties to advertising co-ops, and you need to know what to expect up front.

Don't sign on the dotted line for your national restaurant chains until you know about all the costs you'll owe. Ask yourself the following questions:

1. What are the total costs, both up front and each year for your restaurant franchise opportunity?

2. Should you take out a mortgage or other financing for your restaurant chain purchase?

3. Should you invest in regional restaurant chains to save money?

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Know your total costs before you choose the right food franchise opportunities

Look for franchising information that's more than hype; it should have concrete information on everything from what net worth the franchise requires of owners to what ongoing royalties and advertising fees you pay every year. Take the guesswork out of buying food and restaurant chains by looking for information in one, easy to read source rather than seeking out individual corporate websites.

I recommend: Check out sites like the World Franchising Network, which rates the top 100 franchises in many categories, and offers comprehensive franchise information for restaurant chains worldwide. America's Best Franchises offers comprehensive investments and costs and allows you to search for franchises by what you can afford to invest.

Think hard about taking out a mortgage to finance your restaurant franchise

Most viable national restaurant chains will offer some help with financing when you decide on a chain restaurant opportunity. However, you'll still have to finance a large portion of the purchase price yourself. Opening any kind of new business can be a risk, and enhancing that risk with a mortgage on existing property can be dangerous. You need to include the interest you'll pay in the cost of the franchise, so look for ways to get the lowest interest rate.

I recommend: Advanced Restaurant Finance offers financing for existing restaurants and new franchises. Richard Parker of the Diomo Corporation advocates learning all you can about restaurant financing and looking at seller or other options, like the Small Business Administration.

Locate regional restaurant chains that may be cheaper to purchase than national chains

If you can find local or regional restaurant franchise opportunities, you may be able to save money on franchise fees and other costs and still have a brand name that's well known and respected in your area of the country. Smaller, regional franchises often don't require as large an investment as national franchises and their ongoing costs. Things like royalties are often cheaper, too.

I recommend: Visit Business Franchise World to locate smaller franchises geared to your particular area and budget. Franchise Buyers Network also allows you to choose regional franchises by your area and amount you're willing to invest.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Don't bite off more than you can chew when you think about buying chain food restaurants. Look for the right fees, financing and ongoing costs that won't stretch your budget at the beginning. Remember, it takes most chain restaurants months and even years to establish their business, so make sure you have your financing in place and you have enough collateral to withstand the rigors of staring up your restaurant franchise.

If you are looking to buy a franchise or start a restaurant chain you need to be savvy about marketing and the financial outlook of restaurant chains. Know what foods people are buying and what kinds of chain restaurants are most popular. Do your homework before you invest in a franchise or a start-up restaurant chain; be sure it appeals to consumers and is branded properly for its main clientele.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Repositioning

Repositioning is a marketing strategy that changes various aspects of a restaurant's products or brand to give it a better market position and change customer perceptions of the chain.

I recommend: IMEC defines strategic repositioning and explains how it is beneficial for businesses.

Relevance

One key concept for restaurant chains is relevance. Restaurant owners need to consider the changing marketplace and be sure their restaurant chain appeals to the market they hope to attract. If they hit on a trend, they may become a popular chain, but once the concept that launched their chain's success is no longer relevant, a chain will lose revenue.

I recommend: Chain Leader discusses how restaurants that failed to stay relevant declined in popularity.

Outsourcing partnership

One trend in the restaurant industry is developing an outsourcing partnership. A restaurant chain partners with a hotel to increase both businesses. The hotel benefits by having an in-house restaurant without the expensive overhead and staffing issues. The restaurant has a built-in clientele and a place to do business.

I recommend: Hotel Online delves into outsourcing partnerships and their benefits.

Branding

Branding is key to restaurant chain sales. By establishing a certain image in customers' minds, chains can ensure that diners will continue to come into their restaurants. A brand makes advertising uniform for all stores and fulfills customers' expectations when they enter the chain.

I recommend: Zagat shares how one graphic designer helped to build a restaurant brand.

Sustainability

One of the buzzwords of today's businesses is sustainability, and nowhere is that more important than for restaurant chains. Sustainability is more than just offering organic menu items. Many chains have developed a planned approach to conserving resources and reducing their non-recyclable waste.

I recommend: Chain Leader presents suggestions for how restaurants can go green.

Franchise

Chain restaurants often offer franchise opportunities. Advantages of a franchise are that the parent company usually provides the business plan and advertising, establishes the brand, and buys supplies and uniforms in bulk.

I recommend: Quantified Marketing Group provides advice on franchising your restaurant concept so you can turn it into a chain.