What about the folks who grew up in the suburbs and moved downtown over the past decade? a lot them eat at chains because they grew up with them. Just about everyone i know who lives downtown loves The Keg. Why? the food is average, always taste the same, and the menu never changes ( like most chains) Maybe that's exactly what people want? Sometimes people don't want to experiment, they want to go some place familiar. People who grew up with the Cheesecake Factory, would probably dine at the Toronto location.
I didn't grow up with a lot of today's restaurant chains so I'm not that interested in dining at them. In a city like Toronto there is too many other dining options. I do have fond memories eating at Bob Evans in the states. If Toronto got one of those, I'd probably be first in line.