From what I've read in the restaurant trade magazines, Shane's is growing by leaps and bounds and selling franchises.
Electric cookers are becoming the industry norm because of different laws governing open flames in cities across the country. Also, air scrubbers are often called for by different municipal ordinances. Together it makes for a rather sterile environment for BBQ purists who long for the days of seeing a dentally-challenged, good ol' boy in overalls, chucking logs into a smoker, doing his best to create consistent Que every day. But consistency is what a commercial gas or electric smoker gives you, albeit less romantically. You get a constant temp competition cooks strive for, day after day. I too still prefer the real deal, but it isn't as feasible anymore. What is paramount is that real wood smoke is blessing the meat. The places to really avoid are the liquid smoke and bake-it-in-the-oven chains like Applebee's.
That said, I'm off to Nashville today and plan on grabbing a bite at some dive BBQ joint, hopefully run by a good ol' boy!