The thing with big chains like Starbucks is that they've found a simple standard way of making things. This ensures that they easily win their low-quality competitors and the customers know what to expect. But on the other hand, the standard level is the only thing they can work with when competing against seriously better competitors.

Coffee shops like Starbucks will always be better than the worst, but never as good as the best.

Also, there are so many things which can be done "right" or "wrong". The furniture, the location, the general atmosphere, what kind of beans are used, how the coffee is made etc. It requires much more than just some chairs, some tables, some place, some kind of coffee etc. to get a pleasant cafe.