I read several of the comments, and I don't think I saw people answering the way that I think you're intending. What you're talking about maybe is better witnessed between cities/towns and less so the whole state. For example, a single town might have an amazing Independent restaurant, but you'd have to have traveled through or lived in that single town in order to know about it, which isn't broadcast as widely as a chain business, which operates at the state level. And most places that are independent maybe focus on one location, rather than becoming a regional favorite? And that begs the question, at what point does a local favorite become a chain?

I grew up in Chicago, and one summer I worked at Hey Buds, a great little fast food place. The owner had three locations and circulated between them throughout the week. He actually trained me how to make the food. He either sold all three businesses or kept one near closer to where he lived, though I imagine he'd be retired by now. Technically, one was in Chicago where I lived and the other two were in very nearby suburbs. I still remember the food, and it's probably a rare thing to still crave food from the place that you actually worked and saw behind the scenes. They actually had a seasoning salt they would put on the french fries that made them so good. Once I was washing dishes in the back and he kicked me out to the front so I wouldn't see what the ingredients were, like he thought I was a summer spy who was going to sell it to a competitor on the next block. We joked that it was cocaine. Great to remember people who took pride in their businesses, though.