While I agree with you that T Ho's isn't exactly a haven for the upper middle class, even clerks and lower wage earners my age and younger are getting pickier about the quality of their goods. Baby boomers have this nasty habit of dying more now, especially if they eat highly processed garbage, so to maintain a customer base, eventually they're going to need to pick up the quality.
Starbucks isn't actually very good, but I find that the actual coffee is at least passably ok, rather than actively BAD. Local privately owned if definitely the route to food and coffee worth having, for sure. Also, at least in my rural neck of the woods, not substantially pricier than TH's...?