Cheesecake Factory populism is so weird to me because the rise of chain restaurants created over-the-top, replicable dining experiences, which eventually put the final squeeze on mom-and-pop restaurants, such as the US version of trattorias. I would argue those family-owned neighborhood businesses made the dining experience feel more special and pulled communities together. The shift to chain restaurants homogenized American life and concentrated corporate power. Strange to frame corporate consolidation as "populism."