Awkward Questions

A few weeks ago, we went out to eat over by UPenn. We were very close to one of our old favorites, Mad Mex, but in keeping with my own arbitrary rule of "Pennsylvania owned, this side of State College" Mad Mex doesn't qualify, since it is owned & headquartered in Pittsburgh. 

So, we went next door to a barbecue restaurant that appeared to be locally owned & established. When we walked in, the menus had several locations listed, such as San Francisco and another city in CA. 

So I had to ask the hostess, "Is Baby Blues owned & founded in Philadelphia?" And somehow the hostess' affirmative response was less than convincing, and I tried to clarify...."So these locations listed on the front of the menu, is there some kind of parent company restaurant group that actually owns this place? I'm trying to figure out if this restaurant is a local, independent business."  

And the more I tried to explain why it mattered, the crazier I sounded. 

Overall, feedback and reception of my goal to shop at only locally owned establishments has been very positive. But sometimes, and maybe it's me getting caught in a weird mood or cluttered headspace, sometimes I can't seem to speak clearly about my goals and my project. 

What is it? Is it a writing project? A New Years resolution? A self-help movement? Or just some new way to make things really inconvenient for myself all year?