Chain Reaction - In this interesting review/comparison of upscale chain restaurants, I think Slate gives too little credit to many of these restaurants, especially the Cheesecake Factory. Yes, suburbanites in Orange County might love it, but the hour-long lines at every Cheesecake Factory location in the country I've been to certainly show that they are not alone in their feelings. In my own mind, I'd place Cheesecake Factory and Wolfgang Puck a step above Chevy's and Olive Garden. For the most part, the first two chains offer consistent food, quality service and provide a mechanism for food trends to be distributed to the masses. For my money, I would have thrown in Buca di Beppo over Olive Garden.