Resources

A few great resources for finding existing restaurant spaces:

Carol Gilbert Incorporated (CGI). Carol is an amazing resource with a ridiculous amount of knowledge, experience and connections in the San Francisco retail real estate market. Beyond being a professional real estate broker, she and her team are restaurant specialists and will consult on any and all sorts of restaurant deals. CGI has have represented some of the best names in the local industry and around the country including Bacchus Management (Spruce, Pizza Antica (several locations), Mayfield Bakery and The Village Pub), Hubert Keller's team (executive chef at Fleur de Lys, owner of Burger Bar), and many others. CGI is the best in a very niche business. The benefits of using CGI over a typical real estate broker are exclusive listing, consulting backed by 30+ years experience and insider connections with local landlords, government departments any other restauranteurs. Also, she really likes the color red.

On the opposite end of the spectrum in terms of personalized expertise is RestaurantRealty.com, run by Steve Zimmerman and partners. While it is also a good resource, it is a very different approach to finding the right restaurant space. The website is exceptional in that it seems to be the best resource for viewing existing restaurant businesses and property for sale or lease. This should be the first spot you look when seeking a Bay Area restaurant business to purchase but only to get a rough idea of what is available and what it will cost you. In the end, you will need the personalized service of an experienced broker like CGI. Just my two cents...