The mall food court isn't just a place to grab a quick bite to eat while you do some shopping or catch a movie with your bestie. It's now the place where restaurant franchise are born. Well, they aren't exactly born there, but they're certainly tested there.

If you think about it, it's the perfect place to test out a concept. There's (usually) plenty of foot traffic and most malls won't let two similar businesses in the food court. So you wouldn't see two big burger brands battle it out side by side. It would be one or the other...or neither if your burger brand is lucky enough to edge out the big names.

In case you didn't know, competition is stiff out there and it's not getting any easier for newly-minted quick-serve restaurants to get noticed. But, as each year passes, we see more and more brands plant their flags and try to lure customers from the hundreds of restaurant brands that have already been established in a particular market.

On top of this, customers aren't getting any less demanding. In fact, customers are becoming more demanding than ever. The old way of marketing and branding won't cut it with today's cynical and savvy customers who want something totally unique, innovative and focused on them. Oh, and it has to be good, affordable and served fast.

In the U.S., at least one state is taking on salt - using the legislative process to curb excessive use of the mineral in an effort to encourage (or force, depending on how you look at it) healthier eating.

In case you didn't know - many Americans (it’s a global thing, really) are consuming too much salt. In fact, 90 percent of Americans are exceeding their recommended max of one teaspoon of sodium per day according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. And while that's a startling number, the good news is that 60 percent of Americans are doing something about it - trying to cut back on salt, or eliminate it completely from their diets.

Now, when those 60 percent go out to eat – “cutting back” becomes a different story. They aren't as concerned about sodium as they are at home - and that's causing many U.S. restaurant brands to be a little tardy when it comes to decreasing the amount off sodium in their menu items.

Starting a quick-serve or fast-casual restaurant brand in any country is a huge endeavor. It takes money, time, planning, and commitment. As you can see, it takes a lot to get a restaurant brand off the ground.

And even then, there's no guarantee of success. So why even consider taking your brand outside your country's borders in search of more profit? Well, for one thing, there's a huge pool of potential customers out there, and if a restaurant brand can tap into them in the right way, there's a good chance that brand will be successful.