Someday I hope to own my own little pub, free and clear, and just do that for the rest of my life. It wouldn't be stress-free, but I enjoyed my time working in a bar, and I like the idea of operating a little community hub.
"Free and clear" stops a lot of people, but it's not as important as knowing how to scale up and down so your cash flow is always above paying your debts. There will be balancing acts whether you own the building or not. Figure out the minimum sales you need to survive, and plan the maximum size you can grow to. You can start toward "free and clear" by negotiating a "lease with the option to buy". Considering recent situations, hire a lawyer to put contingencies on rent in case of government mandated shutdowns or reductions.
If this is truly a dream of yours, don't wait. Start looking at locations and gathering information.
Me, I remember the first time I was sure I didn't want to do that. I met a lady running a bar/restaurant/hub. It was clear her life was the place. It was open nights so she was there every night. It had lots of events. No more free nights for her, going out with friends, dancing, dinning etc. Her nights, while she did get to greet people, were mostly running around the place putting out fires. I'm not dissing that life at all. If she enjoys it that's great. It's not for me in the same way I'm sure staring at a computer screen is not for her.
Because one of the key things I’ve learned from those I’ve known in the business is that it’s sometimes very, very stressful to make your living this way. And, as the pandemic has shown us, sometimes hard work isn’t enough.