Anyone who exits the interstate at North Prospect in Champaign can tell you that chain stores and restaurants are certainly a large part of American business.

Whether or not this is a good thing, the trend has at least changed the typical diet.
The standard meatloaf, pot roast, and Velveeta casseroles prepared at home are often being replaced with dinners out at Charlie Bennigan O'Tuesdays, and their famous wasabi-fusion Jack Daniels glazed quesadillas and Shanghai-chicken-finger-onion-ring-cheeseburgers.

Eating habits aside, it seems that here in C-U, more chains appear every day. We're scheduled to be getting a Forever 21 clothing store in Market Place Mall, and my favorite regional fast-food chain, Chic-fil-A, is supposed to be replacing McDonald's in the Illini Union Food Court.

Finally, we no longer have to leave town for $3 plaid headbands and a chicken sandwich with waffle fries, FOR FREE. (It's not actually for free, see that was a reference to these "Unforgivable" YouTube videos that people find funny for some reason and … oh, nevermind.)

At first I was ecstatic to hear the news, until I remembered that most clothing stores are quickly picked over after their opening, demonstrated by Old Navy and Wet Seal a few years back. Most national stores don't send their best products to Champaign, and even if you find something, it's almost guaranteed that you will run into someone with the same shirt (the horror!!!).

As for Chic-fil-A, I think I may only really claim that it's better than Popeyes, Harold's Chicken, and other competitors because I enjoy going to eat there when I'm visiting my grandparents in Atlanta. Having one three blocks away from my school may take the fun out of the oh-so-delectable chicken that due to geographical inconvenience has always been a "sometimes food" in the past.

All in all, I think I'm still glad that I'll have access to these stores. Who on earth would want their access to something restricted?! But I still suggest we support our local stores and businesses, because if they've chosen to start their entrepreneurship here of all places, they can probably use all the help they can get.