The thing with chain restaurants is that you'll likely be receiving lower quality food than a local mom-and-pop shop. People who work at chain restaurants gene

The thing with chain restaurants is that you'll likely be receiving lower quality food than a local mom-and-pop shop. People who work at chain restaurants generally are there to make some money and then get on with their lives. They're less likely to be passionate about food and sharing that joy with customers. They're using corporate recipes and the cheapest ingredients from massive suppliers. When I go to small local joints, I see owners who are in love with their business and really want to share their passion of food with customers. This care really shows in the quality of the food. They made the recipe themselves, so they know every nuance of it. They often get fresh local ingredients. Now this is just a generalization, there are plenty of passionate workers in chain restaurants, and plenty of apathetic local restaurants. It might just be a local thing too. I just had a revelation once I moved from the chain restaurants of midwest suburbia to the local shops and food carts here in Portland. It was a night and day difference of quality and general experience.