Got to stand up for dining choices in small towns. My small town has a lot more reasonably accessible (< 20 minute drive) independent restaurants than the larger city I moved from. I'm sure that's not the case everywhere, but lack of food options is not a universal truth for small towns.
That said, there are two types of places that either don't exist or are in short supply here. There are no super fancy, black tie restaurants (it's a touristy area, so there are places with wine lists and table cloths and such, but patrons wear polo shirts ect). There are very few mid range counter service chains (e.g. Chipotle, Noodles & Company). A couple exist, but it's mostly independent restaurants or fast food.
The one weird thing in my small town is that people don't really recognize chains. I had someone tell me about a great little ice cream shop that was an absolute must try, a staple of the community. It turned out to be a Coldstone Creamery. I mean, they were right. It was very good.
My family is the same way. They live in a town of about 10k that happens to be the largest town in the area. When I ask if there's anywhere good to eat they usually recommend Chili's.