[spdif899]

Interesting point, one could point to Starbucks and other coffee chains as the gateway drug, lowering the barrier to entry for somebody to get "into" coffee while setting a bar considerably higher than burnt diner coffee.

...While still delivering their own flavor of burnt junk, relative to the multitudes of third wave shops that have grown and thrived out of the category that Starbucks created.

So yes, the current version of Starbucks may be ridiculous, but the culture wave it led is a key reason every town or block is able to sustain a passionate small cafe or roastery.