The question is what level do you source from Sysco?
Source flour, shortening, sugar, etc. and make your own pie or cake. It will still be unique.
Source pie mix or cake mix from Sysco and, yes, you've lost your uniqueness.
The real question: do the eaters care? The continuing existence of places like Applebee's seems answer the question with "Apparently not."
I think those who are aware of the problem definitely do care. Many people just don't think about it, because they're not old enough to remember a time where the local diner baked its own pies, simmered its own soups, etc..
For me, all my perceptions of food changed when I started traveling outside the United States. Basic staples like bread and soup taste so good in places like Germany and Japan by default, but food of the same quality in the United States would cost $20-30 per plate.
This is a big reason I started cooking at home. The quality simply isn't there in the American restaurants that are affordable to most people, especially outside of big cities.
So, what killed these restaurants in the US? They used to exist. Why did they go away?
I love good food and I'm a fairly good cook, but that doesn't stop me from picking up dinner at McDonald's when I just don't feel like cooking. I don't think that the existence of Applebee's proves anything other than sometimes people want to "eat a meal that someone else microwaved."
I got Applebee's because I know exactly what I'm getting everywhere on the country. If I got to an independent restaurant and get served something similar to Applebee's I'm probably going to choose Applebee's next time. If you can't differentiate yourself from a national chain with economies of scale you're going to be put out of business.