Unfortunately the comment reeks of some classism (though I share the sentiment). When you ain't got the money to travel to find good food or have a nice meal, it's no surprise people like the consistency of a chain restaurant and have their minds blown when the finally try something from a completely different region and have no frame of reference for flavors. I remeber spending my meager savings in college to try Indian, Thai, and even New York-style Chinese as an adult. It was quite scary to know if I'd like it, and I was even a bit afraid to try new dishes on my budget, or a different restaurant of the same style in the same town because I found something I liked. Luckily a developer salary eventually allowed me to open up to trying waay more foods.

I do however feel it's really odd for restauranteurs to feel the immediate need to tailor flavors for the entire menu to the local palate as if people could never dare eat a pepper or something.