I need to select the theoretical "ideal" location for a new
restaurant, somewhere in the USA. The restaurant belongs to an
international chain of quick-casual restaurants; i.e. high quality
fast food.

I want information that would help me to select the ideal location:
starting at region and working all the way down to exact location
(i.e. the XYZ mall in South Boston.) More specifically, I'm looking
for information that will enable me to complete my analysis as fast as
possible. I also can't afford to purchase a bunch of private research
reports.

I am taking many things into account, including competition, taxes,
regulatory environment, market growth potential, consumer preferences,
etc. In other words, everything that might impact a compnany that
wants to grow from one US restaurant to fifty US restaurants within
three years.

Some examples of information that would be helpful to me:

"Consumers in XYZ region really love ABC-type ethnic food."
"XYZ region is an especially good place to start a restaurant, due to
growth trends and a friendly regulatory regime."
Etc..

Thanks!

There is a study that is basically an industry briefing. It's an entry
level publication but should have the info you want (maybe).

Restaurants And Cafes in USA - http://www.biz-lib.com/ZEURGOOOLE.html
or try...

"Consumer Foodservice in United States" Published May 2004

It can be found at the followinr URL:
http://www.bizlib.com/ZEUGOOGLE.html or at
http://www.biz-lib.com/ZEUGOOGLE.html

It a full market study of the food industry in the USA in terms of the
consumer market.

Wal-Mart, rent some sub space!

I know you don't want to spend a lot of money BUT wouldn't an
investment upfront in good solid actionable information be worth it?
It sounds like your plans are ambitious. My advice is don't economize
in taking crucial first steps.

Are you familiar with MapInfo? It's a software company that
specializes in providing location information and decision-support.
Take a look at their website: ww.mapinfo.com.
I am sure their products do not come cheap, but they could very well
pay for themselves many times over by making your first choice of
location the right choice.
scribe_ga

Hi guys - 

Thanks for the feedback and URLS.

The reason I don't want to pay much for info is because I am student,
and this is a class project.  :)  Most relevant reports seem to cost
$200 at least, and most of those spend a disproportionate amount of
time covering "general trends" that don't interest me as much.
Specific information, like restaurant-friendly regions (regulations
and tax-wise), and consumer preference-wise, is hard to find. And
information that would help me actually zero in on a specific shopping
mall (or other location) is even harder.