Americans spend more than $600 billion a year eating out. Busy consumers don't have the time or inclination to cook - they want tasty, nutritious meals without dishes to wash. Singles, working parents and seniors are demanding greater convenience and are turning to restaurants to fill that need. With so much dining and taking out, there's plenty of room for more food businesses, but for a successful startup you need more than just good recipes. You also need to know about planning, capitalization, inventory control, and payroll management.

Entrepreneur has compiled everything you need including how to evaluate the competition, how to research potential customers, the basics of setting up a kitchen, how to find a great location, how to leap over regulatory hurdles in the industry, and how to select the best people to staff your particular style of business.