Searching for restaurants for sale or lease online is an easy process and there are multiple options.  Some of the best and most established websites act as more than just a giant “aggregator” of listings; they provide content, information, links and real value to a buyer or seller. 

Here is a guide to your search for restaurants for sale or lease online.   

Visit the big ones.  Bizbuysell is the powerhouse of business for sale websites.  It is owned by the prestigious Wall Street Journal and bills itself as the “Internet’s Largest Business for Sale Marketplace.”  It consistently ranks number one in traffic and there are lots of restaurants for sale on this website.  Other options for national websites include businessbroker.net, buybusinesses.com and businessesforsale.com.   The brokers advertising on these websites should be regarded with more credibility than someone advertising on free sites (like craigslist for example), since they are paying premium pricing for their listings to be posted.

Continue your search by visiting specialists.  While bizbuysell and businessbroker.net has everything from grocery stores to hair salons, other sites focus specifically on restaurants for sale or lease online.  www.wesellrestaurants.com  and www.restaurants-for-sale.com only include franchise and independent restaurants for sale.     

Within each website, look for thorough and detailed information on listings.  If a broker representing a restaurant for sale or lease online doesn’t bother to write a minimum of 300 – 400 words to describe the opportunity, odds are he or she will be just as nonchalant in following up with you.  Writing good listings is a lot of work but it helps a buyer eliminate those businesses for sale that just don’t meet their needs so they can focus on the ones that will.   The minimum any listing should include is information about the type of cuisine, the size of the restaurant for lease or sale, a brief description of the equipment included, information about the sales, hours of operation, and training or staffing.  You can easily see why a single paragraph doesn’t begin to cover this amount of data.

Secondly, websites featuring restaurants for sale or lease online should include a photograph.  The old adage that a picture is worth a thousand words is absolutely the case when it comes to buying a restaurant.  One picture can communicate in a micro second whether this is the style you’re looking for.

These sites are also an opportunity to learn more about restaurant brokers with businesses for sale.  Read their biography.  Examine their education and experience.  Are they published?  See which organizations they belong to.  Lastly, look at the number of listings they have available.  You can do your initial due diligence on the person that will be helping you in the search.  

Read and spend time on any website with restaurants for sale or lease.  The amount of information and knowledge you can gain about the business is truly amazing in the internet age.  Some industry experts post new articles every few days.  You should also be able to find links to resources like liquor license regulations or attorneys.  Many host forums where you can post questions and get answers.   

Ultimately, any website focused on restaurants for sale or lease online should be a tool or resource to eliminate choices and help you narrow down your search.  If it’s not doing that, find a new website to search for restaurants for sale or lease online.

Visit wesellrestaurants.com as an example of a website that meets these criteria -- full disclosure here – it’s my website.  

LIKE this article?  Click the buttons above and SHARE online please