[jackywise]

Do you think it's a good idea to invest in restaurant business? I have savings and I don't want it to sleep in the bank. I'm planning to invest it that's why I need idea here if restaurant is profitable nowadays. What do you think?

[Colt]

There are numerous variables involved. These are tough times. However, in California, the restaurant biz is blossoming again. You really have to do your homework before deciding..

[Shannon]

Having worked in a small family owned restaurant before I would really advise you to find a couple of owners and talk to them and get some experience in the industry before making a leap like that. It's a lot of work and in the right location can be very successful but you have to know what you are doing.

[Bruce442]

A relative of mine attempted it and unfortunately failed. I do agree that it's profitable though but the location does play a significantly role along with the restaurant's main market as well. Also, if you're new to the business scene it'll be even harder so I'd probably attempt to work with someone familiar with the business that's trust worthy and make sure that there's some legal protection for you in the event that they attempt to take advantage of the situation.

[Foolforsavings]

That's a LOT of hard work if you are going to run it yourself and I wouldn't trust someone else to run something like that for me. When money is involved in a business even family will rip you off. I should know, my son did me in another family owned business.

[SallyA]

From working as a waitress for a number of years, I learned that the profit margin is not high in the restaurant business. I would do a lot of research before attempting it.

I agree with ones who said it's a lot of hard work and about running it yourself. If you do run it yourself, the hours would be long and finding good employees might not be easy. I ran into many good workers, but there are some who are really lazy in that business.

Unless it's your dream to have a restaurant business, you might want to look into other options. If it is your dream, then go for it, but do a lot of research first and find out what type of restaurant has the best chance of succeeding in the area where you want to start it.

[moulic]

Same here, I would do a lot of search before attempting to open my own food place. I would start from a small food business then if it becomes successful, I would plan to transform it into a restaurant.

[Lincoln]

When it comes to food in general, the profit margins are not very high. Whether it's a restaurant, grocery store, or a hot dog vendor. You really have to like that kind of work to get involved with it.

[Lonnie]

I don't think I would take such a chance right now. If you really wanted to invest in something the best thing to invest in business wise, it rental property. You know there will always be people who need to rent a home or business property. I would go with the home rentals first though. The business rental side has been very, very slow lately and it hasn't returned as much of a profit as the home rentals have.