So if you've ever dreamed of owning your own slice of the restaurant ... with accessible, quality food and consistently ranks as one of the best restaurant franchises while remaining a prominent ...

While popular names like McDonald's often steal the spotlight, numerous underrated franchises can lead to impressive profits.

Our annual list of the top restaurant and other food franchises, divided up by category, is the perfect place to start if you’re craving a food-based business opportunity.

These are the companies that not only ranked in this year’s highly competitive Franchise 500, but ranked #1 in their respective industry categories.