What defines an ethnic restaurant for sale?  The most common definition of an ethnic restaurant is one that specializes in a type of cuisine common to a culture, nationality or ethnicity.  Examples can include: Mediterranean Food, Japanese Food, Thai Food or Mexican which is influenced by geography. Others might refer to Cajun Food or Latin American Food which is not tied to a specific country but speaks to a broader concept typically associated with a collection of flavors and spices. Chowhound defines ethnic restaurants as, “Pertaining to or characteristic of a people, especially a group (ethnic group) sharing a common and distinctive culture, religion, language, or the like.”  They go on to say, “If we apply this definition to the term ethnic food, we lump every single style of cooking from every single region of the world.”  When the restaurant brokers offer ethnic restaurants for sale, they can include any of these examples and more. 

The growth of ethnic restaurants for sale can be traced to the expansion of the American palate to include flavors and experiences far beyond a traditional dining experience.  It used to be that only major urban cities would experience pockets of businesses that would be classified as ethnic restaurants for sale. That has changed with restaurants of all cultures and nationalities becoming mainstream.  Many are offered in fast casual franchise versions.  
 
The top ranked fast casual ethnic chains in the nation lean toward Mexican as the primary cuisine according to QSR Magazine.  Taco Bell is number one, followed by Chipotle at number two, Qdoba Mexican Eats at number four and Del Taco at number five with Moe’s Southwest Grill at number six.  The only non-Mexican cuisine to crack the top six was Panda Express with 1,790 locations nationwide.   
 
Buyers reaching out to the restaurant brokers for ethnic restaurants for sale are often seeking brands that align with their cultural or religious preferences.  Many, for example, avoid alcohol sales but appreciate fare appropriate drinks served together with the flavors associated with a given cuisine.  For some individuals settling in the United States, it is comforting to serve flavors reminiscent of their “home country” flavors even if these flavors have been Americanized or watered down to meet a mainstream audience of customers.
 
It is not uncommon for those without any allegiance or knowledge of a given cuisine to seek out an ethnic restaurant for sale opportunity either for love of the flavor or simply because this category of foods is growing at a seemingly faster rate than other traditional concepts.
 
A recent article in QSR magazine says there are four phases for trends to take hold in the foodservice industry according to a firm called Dataessential.  The company defines the phase for trend development as: inception, adoption, proliferation, and ubiquity.  Dataessential says that the concepts flourish depending on the phase.  In their words, “During the inception phase, operators who menu the trends are often fine-dining or independent operators. Casual dining restaurants pick up the trend as it moves to the adoption phase, and then there’s the proliferation stage, in which the trend has been validated for a mass audience and it is present at quick-service brands.”
   
With the growth in ethnic restaurants at the quick-service and fast casual junction, there are many flavors that are solidly now in the proliferation stage while new cuisines emerge each day in the earlier stages.  Notable new entries emerging as ethnic concepts include:  Peruvian, North African, and Nordic cuisines according to the article and Datassential’s research.  They cite Mexicana and Italian as examples of trends firmly established across all segments while, “Thai, Indian, Korean, Vietnamese, and Spanish/Tapas have moved into the adoption phase.”  From the count of ethnic restaurants for sale rising each year, we would agree with this assessment.  For more ethnic restaurant for sale opportunities, you can visit our listings live at this link.