Sort of. The search box on the OSM.org site is more a data inspector than it is a search nearby box.
So going to a place and searching for 'fastfood' returns objects from around the world based on the name matching 'fastfood'. A more structured input, like 'fast food, detroit, mi' returns something more sensible (but it is still searching the city limits of Detroit, not the metro area).
So the machinery there provides information, but it is not set up for end user situations.
(but it is still searching the city limits of Detroit, not the metro area).
Not necessarily. It depends on what the geocoding software does. It might use rigid "city" borders, or might not. In Europe, we don't have these rigid "city borders", so lots of software has to cope with that.
So going to a place and searching for 'fastfood' returns objects from around the world based on the name matching 'fastfood'. A more structured input, like 'fast food, detroit, mi' returns something more sensible (but it is still searching the city limits of Detroit, not the metro area).
So the machinery there provides information, but it is not set up for end user situations.