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:

For decades, Dairy Queen has been known for its quality desserts. The brand’s soft-serve ice cream has been a staple in the United States for decades and is a beloved treat on hot summer days (and even on winter days if you live in the right climate.) But as with most companies, Dairy Queen has seen a tremendous opportunity for growth by adding to their menu in a way that makes them more versatile.

McDonald’s, the global brand leader in fast-food is seeing a sunset on the horizon. Nostalgia isn’t cutting it with many new customers and the company is struggling to find its way toward meeting the demands of customers who have been loyal for decades and those who never knew the original Hamburglar.

The challenges McDonald’s faces are many but here are a couple of the main ones that it appears to be tackling in some manner: