First and foremost, be clear as to to your motivation.  Most restaurants are started out of either self-inflicted passion or the passion of your family and friends enjoying your cooking and telling you that you should open your own restaurant.

Next, make sure you are aware that the single largest failure in business are restaurants - typically mom-and-pop type eateries.

Next, go to craigslist.org and open the business for sale section to see how many restaurants are for sale in your community.  And then go to a couple of business brokerage sites for the same type of info gathering.  These discovery sessions can give you insight for second thoughts as well as basic details that you will want to know if you are going to consider buying an existing location.

There is plenty to do once you actually decide to move forward but for now it is research in advance of making the decision to move forward.  Find a free or inexpensive software program for developing a business plan.  It is not time to actually write the plan but look through the outline that the plan has and use it for some advance research.  Primarily, make it a point to visit (yes, eat at) as many pizza eateries that you can.  Know your competition.  Be very clear that you feel there is a place for you.  It may be difficult in your community so you may have to go elsewhere but plan to interview at least 3 existing pizza eateries owners.

Next, hit the various franchise-for-sale internet sites and gather as much information you can about the existing pizza franchises.  You may in fact what to join one of them rather than starting your own and this is highly recommended ... especially the mature ones.  The downside to the those that have been around is their lack of locations.

Also, look into any regional or national pizza or general restaurant associations for advise.

When it is all said and done the level of your success can be tied directly to the level of research you do in advance.  And then, in direct relation to the detail that goes into your business plan ... making sure that you actually write a plan and that the plan has a 5-year pro forma (monthly for the first 3 years and annually for the last 2 year).

Finally, a business is an investment and the best investment is one that you can make and afford to loose.  Not that you should not take your investment seriously - YOU MUST, but that you minimize your pressure.  Not to overlook that you should not plan to make any profit for the first 12-months and you have income or your personal living costs covered while you are in your first years growth.

While restaurants represent the largest business failure as a group there is also an ongoing need for new restaurants.  The eating public are always looking for new menu.  And there is always a transitional element within your community (unless it is a retirement community).