Food for thought-2013Food for thought-2013

Like many business travelers, I tend to catch up on my reading while flying — and not just while taking off and landing. I try to impose a no-tech rule when I fly, and instead I read, listen to music and actually put pen to paper for notes on current projects.

On a recent trip to Chicago, I devoured an issue of Fast Company because I always learn something from its mix of smart, fun, tech-driven content.

For instance, in the latest issue I loved learning that the founder of Instagram took his team to The Cheesecake Factory to celebrate the app company’s $1 billion acquisition by Facebook.

I couldn’t help but think that nearly everyone has a Cheesecake Factory story, and I wondered if it is because the chain is so ubiquitously embedded in th...