What kind of future do you want? I grew up in the restaurant business. I have owned several restaurants, and developed concepts for dozens of others via a franchise incubator I used to work for. I miss the restaurant business almost every day which is why I got into catering a few years back. Now in my weaker moments I'm considering opening another restaurant. Back to the part where I said I missed the business; I want to make it clear, this is not because I loved the business in any normal, good sense. It's more like a heroin addict misses heroin even years later. I can assure you that my life is better in every way I can think of being out of the restaurant business. Daves description was excellent I thought. Even if you get into this business and love it, you will eventually discover a limit to that love.
But, FWIW, I would consider this, which goes back to my original question: What do you want in your future? If you open a mid-sized restaurant, you'll have a job. Likely an 18 hour a day job, 6-7 days a week, forever. You will make a living, but you'll work your buttocks off(Dave lost 45#), and the restaurant will more than likely NOT make enough for you to hire a real manager to relieve you of some of the burden. You'll have what are called "turn keys" around here, which means someone that just opens or closes and you'll have to check up on them constantly. Heck, you'll have to do that even with a real manager. But your wife and kids will love you, and they'll send you pictures of themselves on vacation while you're back home tending the pits.
If you can open a small, maybe take-out only type place that would need to be staffed just a few hours a day, and use that to supplement a catering business and your other income, you might be able to have a life outside the restaurant. Maybe a catering truck that sets up in the same place every day from 4-8pm. It works for the Mexicans around here, it might work for you too. If you're lucky, it could also be rent free.
Or, find a super high volume location. Open 3 meals a day or even 24hrs (like on a major highway). Get your operational and management plan right and you could make enough to be an owner/manager as opposed to an owner/manager/worker. Think Cracker Barrel. Look to do 1.5-2.0 million in annual sales. But you'll need more than BBQ skills to make it work.
Sounds kind of depressing I know. The truth is probably somewhere there in the middle. Everybody's situation is a little different, but I could take you to a meeting of restaurant owners and you'd hear a lot of the same.
Lastly, I think this guy has a really cool restaurant idea. I've eaten there several times on the way to Charleston. I wish his site had better pictures, but it's four old stores moved to his location and attached to each other. Country as can be and very well done. Only his location could be better.
http://nc-sc.com/dining/