Buying a restaurant in Space Coast and Volusia

• Sales that hold up through the year, or a slow season the owner plans for if the place leans on tourists and winter residents.
• Food and labor costs tracked weekly, not just totaled on the year-end tax return.
• A kitchen that runs without the owner: a chef or kitchen manager who intends to stay, and recipes written down.
• A lease with years left and renewal options, rent that leaves room for profit, and a landlord willing to assign it to you.
• A clean inspection history with the state.
• Regulars and local word of mouth, rather than heavy dependence on delivery apps.
• Equipment that has been maintained: hood and fire suppression, walk-in cooler, ice and dish machines.
• The right alcohol license for the concept, in good standing.

• Reported sales. Match point-of-sale reports to the sales tax returns, month by month. Sales the owner says never reached the books won't count for a lender, and shouldn't for you.
• The seller's taxes. Buying more than half of a business or its assets can make you liable for the seller's unpaid state taxes, up to the price or the value, whichever is greater (section 213.758). Get a certificate of compliance from the Department of Revenue before closing.
• Labor at today's rates. Under a 2020 constitutional amendment, Florida's minimum wage reached $15 an hour on September 30, 2026, and it will rise with inflation after that. The tipped wage moves with it. Rebuild payroll at current rates, not last year's totals.
• Equipment. Have a restaurant equipment technician look at the hood, refrigeration and air conditioning. Replacements are expensive.
• Inspection history. Read several years of DBPR's online inspection results.
• The lease. Remaining term, whether it can be assigned to you, personal guarantees, and who pays for the roof, grease trap and hood repairs.
• Storms. How long the place closed after recent hurricanes, and what business interruption insurance paid.

• What does a slow Tuesday look like next to a busy Saturday, and how has that changed in the last couple of years?
• Who runs the kitchen when you're not there, and do you think they'd stay on with a new owner?
• How much of your business comes from regulars, catering or delivery apps?
• How long is left on the lease, and how do you think the landlord will feel about a sale?
• When did you last replace big equipment like the hood, the walk-in or the dish machine, and what's due next?
• Do you track food and labor costs each week? Could I see a few months of those reports?
• If you were staying, what would you change about the menu or the hours?

This region covers Brevard, Volusia and Flagler counties: Melbourne, Palm Bay, Titusville, Cocoa, Cocoa Beach, Merritt Island, Daytona Beach, Port Orange, Ormond Beach, DeLand, Deltona, New Smyrna Beach and Palm Coast. Brevard's economy is built around space. Rockets launch often from Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, and aerospace and defense manufacturers and their suppliers employ engineers, technicians and machinists across the county. Port Canaveral is a major cruise port.

Volusia depends more on tourism, beaches and big events, with Daytona's motorsports and motorcycle rallies drawing crowds. Health care and a large retired population matter too. Flagler County, around Palm Coast, is mostly residential. Machine shops, electrical and engineering firms, home service companies, marine businesses and restaurants all have a place here.

Brevard's fortunes follow the space and defense programs. A company that sells to aerospace firms should be able to show you how many customers it depends on and how secure their work is. Business in Volusia spikes around big events and the winter season, so look at revenue by month.

The whole coast faces storm risk. In 2022, Hurricane Ian brought flooding to much of Volusia, and Hurricane Nicole, which came ashore near Vero Beach six weeks later, washed away beaches and seawalls along the Volusia coast. Beachfront property needs careful insurance and structural checks. The Indian River Lagoon and the St. Johns River make boating and fishing part of daily life, which keeps the marine trades busy. Palm Coast and the Palm Bay area have added many new homes, and companies serving those areas have grown with them.