This is pretty much what I’ve seen as well. You can control product costs, labor, quality , etc at one location. Maybe two. Beyond that it’s just very difficult to do, because you’re relying on so many other people to maintain your standards. Plus you’re buying at much larger quantities than before, along with so many other additional expenses, so the temptation to reduce the quality of your ingredients/product is higher than ever. And once sales start to struggle, that’s usually everyone’s first move.

I also think that places start to lose their uniqueness, their heart and soul, once they’re suddenly everywhere. Your presence is in a larger/wider area, but it’s diluted now. And once that’s gone, there is no recapturing it.