> do the eaters care?

I think those who are aware of the problem definitely do care. Many people just don't think about it, because they're not old enough to remember a time where the local diner baked its own pies, simmered its own soups, etc..

For me, all my perceptions of food changed when I started traveling outside the United States. Basic staples like bread and soup taste so good in places like Germany and Japan by default, but food of the same quality in the United States would cost $20-30 per plate.

This is a big reason I started cooking at home. The quality simply isn't there in the American restaurants that are affordable to most people, especially outside of big cities.

> For me, all my perceptions of food changed when I started traveling outside the United States. Basic staples like bread and soup taste so good in places like Germany and Japan by default, but food of the same quality in the United States would cost $20-30 per plate.

So, what killed these restaurants in the US? They used to exist. Why did they go away?

My theory is cars. Everything is spread so far apart that local businesses can't rely on foot traffic to spur interest, and a 15-minute driving radius doesn't include all that many people. For many people living in suburbs there's no city center to speak of, and they meet all their needs at the local strip mall full of national and multinational restaurant and grocery chains with name recognition.

Well, the real answer of course is that some of the eaters don't care, at least some of the time.

I love good food and I'm a fairly good cook, but that doesn't stop me from picking up dinner at McDonald's when I just don't feel like cooking. I don't think that the existence of Applebee's proves anything other than sometimes people want to "eat a meal that someone else microwaved."

Also, it is my understanding that Sysco has a multitude of levels (of ingredients/products): some are crap, some less crap, and some “gourmet” in the processed, mass packaged sense of the word.

> do the eaters care?

I got Applebee's because I know exactly what I'm getting everywhere on the country. If I got to an independent restaurant and get served something similar to Applebee's I'm probably going to choose Applebee's next time. If you can't differentiate yourself from a national chain with economies of scale you're going to be put out of business.

During an enlistment in the US Navy I had the opportunity to visit many exotic (to me) foriegn ports. My goal was to explore authentic local food and culture, but inevitably, the buzz when I got back to the ship was the location of the nearest McDonald's. Some peple just crave consistiency and a "taste of home". Each to their own. If I've spent months to get half way around the planet, I sure as hell want to revel in the experience!

Different McDonald's around the world have different menu items. It's not so different as to make up for reveling in the experience, but it would be mildly interesting. You can see a version of this by going to https://www.pizzahut.co.in/, https://www.pizzahut.com.hk/en/order, different countries and see what they put on pizza.