Investing in McDonald's is a raw deal. There are stipulations in the contract that McDonald's can buy back the franchise at fair market value any time. They typically do this for poorly operated ones, but also for successful ones, if they see that you opened a gold mine, they buy it back and keep the profits for themselves.
You pretty much make a deal with the devil.
Subways, well it's too late. 10 years ago you could have gotten one for $50k, now it is way up there. I know a guy that bought about 10 over a couple year span and they are worth on average 1/2 mill each now. Not a bad investment of $50k.
Owning a restaurant sucks. Any cash business requires you to be there 24/7 or you will be robbed blind. Would you drop $200k into a business and let some high school students and a college dropout manage the store for you?
Look at civil bonds. Some have 5-7% interest that is TAX FREE. This is because it violates the double dipping law since you are giving money to a fund that is used as a tax fund. It's a good way to make free money.
I wanted to open a Buffalo Wild Wings in San Diego near Petco Park, but some asshole claimed that aread a while back even though they haven't built anything yet.
I wanted to open a Krispy Kreme donut shop, but they only allow 2 per metroplitan area and they have a fucking laundry list of requirements before you can buy.
Gas stations are ok, but the real money makers are the supplier, not the reseller. The way most gas stations make money in Cali is the Hand Car Washes. They pay 20 mexicans $2 an hour and charge you $20 for a basic wash. This one near my work cleans up.
A somalian I knew bought up cheap land around downtown years ago and used them as parking lots. When the real estate boom happened he was offered millons upon millions from condo and hotel developers, but knew that the more they built the less parking that would exist and it would be a goldmine for decades to come.
For years he struggled to keep the lots full. Now they are packed 24/7 averaging about $20 per car per day for an unmaned lot. Freaking crazy.