Restaurants are a great business to be in. People love to eat, but most don't want to cook every meal for themselves. What better way is there to fill a need than to open restaurants? You can make your niche in the food services industry in many ways. You can purchase a franchise and get start-up assistance, training and all the equipment you need for one fee. A second option is to earn a living wage in management or as a chef at a fine restaurant. A third method is to establish a restaurant of your own from scratch.

China had restaurants in the 11th century, they existed in the Middle East in the 10th century and Spaniards ate in restaurants in the ninth century. In fact, the Sobrino de Botin restaurant in Madrid opened in 1725 and still serves customers today. Because people still love to eat, restaurants should be around for centuries to come. Maybe it's time for you to get in on the action.

1. Fast food restaurants provide affordable franchise opportunities.

2. Fine restaurants need high caliber managers and chefs.

3. Contact a restaurants provider or supplier for tips to help you start a restaurant of your own.

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

Find restaurants offering fast food franchises

Restaurants, like most any other business enterprises, need staffing, furniture, office equipment and such. They also need specialized equipment such as cutlery, ovens, stoves, vents, tables, napkins, serving trays and much more. If you have no experience in the food industry, consider a franchise rather than starting from scratch. The parent company will provide restaurants information, advertising and training necessary to help you get started and stay in business.

I recommend: A fast food franchise to consider is Taco Time from Kahala Corp. Another popular franchise is Quiznos, a trademark of QIP Holder LLC. Visit Franchise Gator to learn about other restaurants that offer franchise opportunities.

Check the top restaurants to find a management or chef career in the food service industry

Thousands of management and chef positions in restaurants pay notoriously low wages. If you were a trained and experienced food services specialist, you'd be coconuts to work at barely above minimum wage when you can make a decent living elsewhere. Usually, fine restaurants pay the highest salaries.

I recommend: New York City has some of the highest paid food service professionals in the country and Gotham Bar and Grill is one of the fine restaurants in New York City. A fine restaurant in Chicago is Fogo de Chao. It serves Brazilian style food.

Know your market before starting your own restaurants chain

If you decide to open your own restaurants, check out a restaurants list to see which types of food are popular. If you are the only provider of a specific food in a city, you might have a corner on the market. However, if you specialize in Argentinean cuisine, and there are few local people familiar with South American food, the restaurant may flop. Mexican food is especially popular in states near the Mexican border. There, dozens of Mexican restaurants in a single city might all be successful. Polish food may be more popular in Chicago than in many other parts of the country. Know your clientele.

I recommend: If you need a Polish food restaurants provider consider Polish Hypermarket, a top Polish foods distributor. If you seek bulk foods, check with Pennsylvania-based Dutch Valley Food Distributors.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Remember three important things: atmosphere, the decor and surroundings may help attract customers; menu, if the food is only so-so, you'll have trouble with repeat business; and staff, no one likes to frequent restaurants when treated rudely or indifferently. People want to feel like royalty when they dine out, even if only once or twice a month.