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.

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.

According to Wikipedia, Bacon Jam is “...a bacon-based relish, similar to the Austrian starter Verhackert. It is made through a process of slow cooking the bacon, along with onions, vinegar, brown sugar and spices, before mixing in a food processor.”

So it’s like relish. But it’s jam. Bacon-based jam, at that. So, what exactly are we using this for again?

Well, let us tell you: You can use bacon jam for just about anything. Throw it on your burgers, your dawgs, your sandwiches - whatever you like.

How bad do you want a veggie burger? Just ask the over 20,000 people in the United States who have signed a change.org petition demanding (not even requesting) that In-N-Out add a vegetarian burger option to its menu.

Sounds simple, right? Give customers what they want and they’ll be happy. But the truth is, you can’t please everybody and sometimes you shouldn’t even try. This is the case with In-N-Out. You see, the chain’s menu is famous for its bare-bones approach: Burgers, cheeseburgers, fries and shakes. If you’re thirsty, go ahead and order a soda.

The Twilight Years of Soda are Upon Us. And That’s Not a Bad Thing.

It’s no surprise that global soda consumption is down – way down, in fact. It’s a trend that’s been going on for quite a few years now. But one drink segment that has managed to avoid this trend is that of premium beverages that are typically made in-house. We’re talking about drinks that include iced teas, bubble teas, cold-pressed juices, lemonades and smoothies.

These types of beverages have seen double-digit growth over the past year and have seen amazing growth (approaching 50%) in the past five years.