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.

Let’s face it, there’s only so much one can fit within the confines of two burger buns before it is simply impossible, or very difficult to eat. Toss in two patties, toppings, cheese, maybe an egg and possibly even a middle bun just to live dangerously and you’ve got a burger that’s probably bigger than your appetite.

One Canadian burger chain has come to rescue with a solution that’s nearly a old as time itself.

Don't you just love it when your favorite restaurant has a special? If you're lucky, you'll find something you really like on special, or at least something you don't totally hate. After all, it is your favorite restaurant, so as long as you're eating there AND saving a few dollars, why not go for it, right?

But what makes a special so special? There are quite a few reasons why a restaurant will have a menu item promotion or some other sort of deal.

Today we'll dig into four of the major ones.

As more and more people are becoming health-conscious in their dining habits, vegetarian and meatless options are growing in their popularity. And, with Vegetarian Awareness Month being celebrated in the U.S. in October of every year, the idea of increasing the number and quality of vegetarian or “veggie” menu options is catching on.

Hard Rock Cafe, as an example, is doing a vegetarian limited time offer (also known as an LTO) with a number of veggie options. Last year, the global chain included such items on its menu as a Quinoa Burger, Southwest Spiced Tofu and a Black Bean Wrap.

Reminder: Anyone who owns something, can sell it. This is especially true when it comes to franchised brands.

Take Qdoba as a great example of this. Qdoba is a USA-Canada based franchise that offers Mexican cuisine in a casual setting. It’s also a brand that isn’t doing very well right now and its fate is being weighed by Qdoba’s parent company: Jack in the Box. Qdoba has been owned by the parent company for 14 years.