It’s always an exciting time in the QSR/limited-service restaurant industry. It seems like every day, a new and inspiring brand pops up and takes hold in one area and seems to outdo the competition, or create a whole new niche that they grow into.

The problems tend to start when these local success stories spread their wings and grow into other markets. Here are three tips to help for smoother and more profitable expansion:

Believe it or not, there is currently a downward economic trend in certain regions when it comes to quick-serve, fast casual restaurants. Some are calling it a restaurant recession while others are simply seeing contracted growth over the next 3 – 12 months depending on who you ask.

But as with every economic situation, there will be winners and losers. Yes, even in tough economic times, there are winners. But what are these winners doing in the restaurant game that keeps them from feeling the impact of the overall downturn? Let’s take a look at a few examples and see, shall we?

One of the most-common cooking elements in a QSR kitchen is easily cooking oil Used for frying, grilling, dressings and a few dozen other functions, oil is liquid gold for chefs.

Cooking oils makes food cook fast, taste good and even look good too. But working against the use of conventional cooking is the demands of consumers who want healthier options. It was just a few short years ago that the world started to make the shift away from partially-hydrogenated oils. Sure they could be stored for a long time. Their shelf life was great for the QSR industry, but the oil was a big source of trans fat which, according to dieticians and researchers, can lead to heart disease.

Every once in a while (who are we kidding, it’s more like every week) we come across some unique menu items that get our attention. Here are six that will either have you scratching your head…or licking your lips.

Tocabe’s Bison Ribs

The Denver-based fast casual Tocabe is known for its traditional Native American cuisine—one of the only multiunit concepts to take so unique an approach—and has earned rave reviews for its Bison Ribs. The ribs are cured for 24 hours, then braised in a house-made bison stock, grilled, and glazed with a seasonal berry barbecue sauce.

Ask 100 vegetarians why they’ve cut meat out of their diet and you’re likely to get 100 different answers. Regardless, going meatless is a choice and it’s one that more and more people making – and food producers are standing up and taking note.

So why would anyone want to eat fake meat in the first place? Because it’s not meant. And that means a few positive things, like: