In an effort to elevate the brand's position, a very different kind of Starbucks is on now on tap. It will serve regional wine and beer along with an expansive plate of locally made cheeses — served on china. But some skeptics say Starbucks is too familiar to be hip. "People don't go to Starbucks to be cool or to show off," says Bryant Simon, a Temple historian and author of Everything but the Coffee: Learning about America from Starbucks. "They go for a predictably good cup of coffee and a place that's predictably clean and safe."