I’ll be incredibly blunt. You’re probably not going to make it here long term.

Our housing costs are extravagant.

Heating costs are stupid high this past year.

There are very few jobs that pay a damn, fewer that provide a comfortable living.

Our winters are extremely cold some years, milder in others, but after hosting two students from Europe it’s way colder and harsher here. They still talk about the cold years later.

If you’re absolutely dead set on this I have to recommend the Burlington and Williston areas. Long term that’s your best bet for a restaurant. We just don’t have the population to support non chain restaurants most places in the state. Most towns have zero options for dine in or take out food and you have to drive 20-30min each way to find some.

I sincerely wish you the best of luck and would love to try some authentic Italian cuisine. We have pretty much no authentic foreign food in this state. It would likely do well here but with operating costs being what they are there are still many challenges to overcome.

As much as this sub pushes away people from moving here, there are chances for people to move here successfully. To better understand the area, try to visit some time in mid spring or late fall to see the worst of the seasons. There's a big difference between the sun of Italy and the cloudy dull weather that's prevalent here.

Job listings are plentiful online for restaurant workers, and that same shortage makes it difficult for small business owners to keep their businesses open. You can use the pay information you find to budget out what you can afford for housing (should be no more than 1/3rd your monthly take home pay), heating costs for 6-7 months, health care (you're fully on your own for insurance in most restaurant jobs) through the exchanges, car + insurance + gas (which will be significantly cheaper than what you pay), an extra set of winter clothing and gear, services like water and sewer and trash collection, and groceries. Once you have that budget number, you can search around for available housing onliine, which you'll find is limited and more expensive than many US cities. That will be your reality check.

It's not impossible to survive and thrive here, but it's more difficult than many parts of the country. The lower the pay you take in, the harder it will be. A Sicilian restaurant that puts out consistent, authentic, quality food would do well here, either in the larger areas or the rural towns that have no real food options. My local pizza place started in our small town 30 minutes of Burlington, and they've grown to 3 locations that all seem to do a brisk business.

The obvious answer is Burlington, it's the biggest city and very walkable, lots of restaurants but lots of people with money to eat in them it seems. Might put Brandon or Middlebury on the list--they're much smaller but very cute downtowns. Middlebury has a college which probably helps as well. Good luck!

Bear in mind that the one big city in Vermont, Burlington, is a very small city by most American standards. There's a lot to do in comparison to the rest of Vermont but it's still pretty quiet by City standards. Similar with town size, big and busy in Vermont context is small and sleepy compared to most anywhere else in America save the remote West, deep in Appalachia, or Alaska.

If that's what you want and expect, you'll be fine, but to really understand Vermont (and a lot of the answers you'll get from born and bred Vermonters) you need to bear that subjective size and scope.

Go for it! You will do fine here as Americans live to eat and eat. Come in the late spring and you will love the summer and Autumn. Winter is only 5.5 months long and most days are pretty nice. You will want to be active outside as much as possible. -28F may happen a few days but it makes 20F seem warm. Stowe / Waterbury/ Morrisville are busy year round and really nice people. Skiing, snowmobiling, Mountain Biking, etc .Housing is a challenge but you will be working all the time. That is how people survive, work. The work culture may surprise you.

I’ve lived in several countries and 3 states in the US, and I’ve noticed that people tend to not appreciate where they were born and raised. They often can’t understand why someone should CHOOSE to live there. I think that is the most common when people aren’t unhappy and think the solution would be to live somewhere else. When I left the US, I thought the entire country was horrible. I wanted OUT. It took me a few years away to gain a different perspective on things. I began to see that all places have their issues and the US had a lot of positives that I had not appreciated before.

All of that is just to say you should ignore the people who are unhappy here in VT. If you like multiple aspects, go for it. Find your people. You will have to work for it, but it will pay off. Some aspects of living here are harder than in other parts of the US, but some are much easier. It depends on your priorities and outlook.

Now, the issue with people saying to stay out because there isn’t housing and you don’t belong….those aren’t your people. Ignore the chatter. If you succeed in starting a business and get involved in the community, you are contributing. They are looking for someone to blame when the issues in this state are far more complex and have been building for years.

[removed]

Dont.

Here's a good tip: Don't.

Or at least wait until the housing situation sorts itself out.