Before plunking down a binder on a restaurant, you need to know so much more than the cost of rent. This is a complex startup operation, even if you're opening a tiny "hole-in-the-wall." When checking out different places with your realtor, have you gotten a copy of a sample lease?  Do you know the terms of the lease? How long will you have the space for?  Understand that it often takes time to become an "overnight success."  You don't want a landlord wielding too much leverage just when you get goin'.