A lot of these mom and pop restaurants hit a rut at some point too and take short cuts, reheating old food, or ordering frozen food and reheating those.

I am sick of places like Chilis because I find their fries to be so processed tasting. But Chipotle and Chik Fil A does the chain concept extremely well.

I think mini chains are the best compromise. Enough size to get leverage in good wholesale prices and lower marketing per store costs. But not too big where there is less creativity in menus and choice of suppliers.