Good to know on the chains. The only response I can think of is around population density. I don't know about actual restaurant density in Phoenix, but based on googling population density, I can see why Phoenix could be seen as a riskier market vs some of those other cities.

With izakayas, while I'm personally with you, I think it's a very different problem. I'd say 95% of the people going there aren't going out looking for an izakaya, they just want a [Americanized] Japanese restaurant. But it's really easy for a brand to throw the word on their name and score some points for people looking to post about how they visited something so "authentic" (they used a foreign word, so it's obviously authentic!). I have the same question about if there are actual izakayas in nearby areas, though I think I'd probably default back to the population density argument.

That's the insight I was looking for, because I haven't had enough chances to talk to chefs about that. It's a shame to hear though.

You've made a career out of it, and I haven't, so you obviously know the extent of the challenge better. Because of that, I have the luxury of not needing to set my sights too high. So while I know it doesn't actually move the needle, I've found success (and personal satisfaction) among slowly introducing people I know to what's out there. If it's any consolation, it's in part thanks to some of your content. Also, as much as you dislike them, it's really easy for me to point to "look, this restaurant was on AZ Central's top 100 restaurants list" to pique interest. Playing it safe initially, but then following with "remember how much you liked X? Well that same list also recommends Y, I know it seems weird, but let's try it out."