A Chain Composer Objects To A Chain Restaurant

There is an exquisitely retro steakhouse [in Indianapolis] (retro in the sense of it having been around for 100 years) and a funny wine bar and a hipster cocktail boîte and all that, and then there are the cancerous and ubiquitous chains. There is something grotesque to me about there being this wonderful steakhouse St Elmó, and then just up the street the linguistically repellant chain steakhouse “Ruth’s Chris,” whatever that means, opens up shop. I feel like the people should take to the streets with pitchforks to protest that ****.

Nico Muhly, 9 February 2013

Apparently abject lack of originality in music composition is perfectly acceptable—rewriting someone else’s music, over and over, is to be admired if not celebrated—but every steakhouse on every corner in every city must be different from all others.