It's been said that McDonald's is not in the restaurant business but the real estate business. And since they are (were?) the most recognizable, famous, and successful restaurant business in America, this may not be a bad model to consider.
Longtime restaurateur Josh Thoma (Smack Shack) seems to have gotten the memo, though he's applying it to a more rarefied, upscale experience: He joined forces with Jack Riebel, Lorin Zinter, and Kevin Fitzgerald to acquire some of the finest restaurant real estate in town: the old Forum Cafeteria space in Minneapolis and St. Paul's beloved grande dame, the Lexington.
Source: http://www.citypages.com/
