text: what is the best franchise to start (with less than 500k?) food/bar would be nice but anything will do!?   be very careful.  i've been down that road and although we have been successful, it's been in spite of our franchiser (meineke) rather than because of them.  in hindsight, i'd strongly recommend looking at existing businesses (both franchise & nonfranchise).  you can sometimes purchase an existing business for about the same investment.  do a little research and you'll sees some real bargains from disillusioned owners that just want to walk away. even if you get hit with some goodwill, it usually is more than worth it to walk into a business that is already profitable.  you'll limit your risk and take a huge load of stress off your shoulders.  a good website is www.franchise-chat.com