"How similar is it to TGI Fridays? It's sort of like a Nike/Adidas situation. We weren’t present for the ideation sessions, but we’re pretty sure the pitch for The Smith went like this: TGI Fridays plus subway tile. The New York-based chain is a perfect storm of early 2000s restaurant aesthetics and decent enough food that could be interpreted as American. You shouldn’t eat here on purpose, but it’s an option in a pinch." - bryan kim