For pizza this seems to have a halo effect as well. It you drop into a non-franchise pizzeria anywhere within roughly 50 miles of NYC then chances are you’ll have a pretty good NYC-style slice, and a reasonable chance of a slice that can stand next to most slices in NYC and still be proud of itself (if a bit awestruck by the company it finds itself in).

I’ve seen a bit of this in areas of the country that have seen some emigration from NYC outwards: NC, FL. Maybe less so as you go west, unless some here have encountered them?