By mid-tier, I mean sit down restaurants that aren't fast food, but aren't quality places with local ownership, talented chefs, etc.

Fast food you know what you're getting, and higher end stuff you're paying more for better quality (at least in theory), but that next step up in chain places from fast food often seems to be the same lower-tier Sysco-bought stuff that feels like it's been sitting in a freezer until they heated it up, put some sauce on it, and brought it out. Very few seem to be really cooking much back in the kitchen. And it all seems worse than it used to be, while costing a ton more. Maybe that's just an old man complaint, but it feels true.