How to deal with local Dining/Restaurant culture?

I'm a Professional Cook who would love to open the kind of place you see on the show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (especially a Southern BBQ and comfort food type place). Unfortunately, I know it would be a battle against the chain establishments and not just the fast foods like McDonald's or KFC but also the Montana's, Kelsey's, Boston Pizza or even Tim Horton's and I just don't get it. What draws people to these restaurants that have crappy food and aren't even inexpensive these days? Or to the same boring breakfast diner that's serving the same predictable food that every other breakfast diner is serving?