The franchisee should go out and take a survey of all the similar businesses in the areas he is considering. Too often, franchisees do not conduct as scientific a search as they should. They end up going out and looking around, finding a vacant store, and then renting it without giving sufficient consideration to things like demographics, population density, traffic, and competition. In some respects, conducting a site search is very much like house hunting. Just as most people realize they shouldn't buy the first house they look at, they should also be wary of making too-quick a decision about where they will locate a business.
Location is of paramount importance to any business.
A franchisee should look at a minimum of three or four locations before choosing one. The search process does not have to take a lot of time. Demographic studies from the major companies generally are available overnight. Most states have a department of transportation that can supply you with the daily traffic count in front of any location. That information is vital, for most businesses, traffic equals sales.