243 replies to this topic

[Mike K.]

The new Tim Horton's in the Juliet building at Blanshard and Johnson streets sure gets busy during lunch and on coffee breaks. The place isn't deep enough for the sorts of line-ups it will experience as more and more people realize it's there (line-ups stretch to the back door then bend back into the restaurant).

One way around this problem is to have one till dedicated to coffee orders which gets people out the door faster. I've seen this done in Edmonton's downtown Tim Horton's and it works well.

This new location is the City of Victoria's #2, with the first on Gorge Rd. East at Bridge St.

[gumgum]

Why oh why are there line-ups at TH's? I just don't get it.

[Audrey]

They use 18% cream in their coffee, so it tastes really good, despite being meh coffee. Also, once you're used to Starbucks prices, Tim Hortons is refreshingly inexpensive when you just want a coffee and a muffin for your work day snack. Oh, and their stuff is fresh, and the quality (for what it's worth) is consistant from location to location.

Also, damn you for reminding me that it's there, and in walking distance from my office!

[osmich]

They use 18% cream in their coffee, so it tastes really good, despite being meh coffee. Also, once you're used to Starbucks prices, Tim Hortons is refreshingly inexpensive when you just want a coffee and a muffin for your work day snack. Oh, and their stuff is fresh, and the quality (for what it's worth) is consistant from location to location.

Also, damn you for reminding me that it's there, and in walking distance from my office!

I love it....Audrey says "oh, and their stuff is always fresh and is consistent from location to location."
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"Always Fresh" is extremely misleading considering where they are made and how they are microwaved to finish. Consistency is probably true as they par-bake and then microwave at the end so how can one screw that up? Check this and this out.

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This remark below from a TH's worker at http://www.nowpublic.com


Micah M.
at 23:19 on October 25th, 2008

I worked for Tim Hortons for almost 9 years, most of that time as a baker. I've seen it all from the rise of soups and sandwiches to the fall of the classic honey cruller. Once that frozen crap came into my store I was apalled at what I saw and really couldn't take pride in my work. Making donuts and muffins from scratch was difficult and almost fun at the same time. An 8hr job now took only 4hrs to do so I spent most of my time playing cards and Game Boy (working the night shift). There really wasn't anything else to do at that time.
The donuts became smaller, drier and bland thanks to the new freezing process. Now everything is pre-made and frozen, even the muffins. Those new breakfast sandwiches, they're frozen too. Even the "egg" that's in it. You'll see signs on the crossonts and danishes calling them "european style". That's total BS. Those things are still the same frozen crap that Tim's has been putting out for years. Nothing has changed. I'll go there for coffee and maybe a bagel too but that's it.

[mat]

Maybe being a little elitist on this post - but I have never understood the appeal of Tim Hortons. The squeals of delight from normally serious office employees when the boss waltzes in with a grease stained box of sugar coated, calorific, trans-fat laden and frankly tasteless lumps of dough - the morning and noon line ups out the door in freezing wind and rain to buy an over priced pre-processed lunch, and watery coffee from an outfit whose decor is stuck somewhere in the worst of the 70's.

Around most local 'Timmys' are wonderful delis and independent, locally owned, coffee shops, where fresh, made on the premises, soups and sandwiches are available - where coffee is not only delicious but raised to an art form, and where eclectic interesting, decor trumps institutional.

That's my Sunday rant - Timmy aficionados feel free to rant back

[Audrey]

That's my Sunday rant - Timmy aficionados feel free to rant back

No excuses on my end. I know it's lousy quality, but there's something comforting about it nonetheless. I don't like the donuts at all, but the coffee is strangely appealing. When I worked at the hospital, a coffee and and a toasted bagel got me through more than a few chilly mornings.

[martini]

Maybe being a little elitist on this post - but I have never understood the appeal of Tim Hortons. The squeals of delight from normally serious office employees when the boss waltzes in with a grease stained box of sugar coated, calorific, trans-fat laden and frankly tasteless lumps of dough - the morning and noon line ups out the door in freezing wind and rain to buy an over priced pre-processed lunch, and watery coffee from an outfit whose decor is stuck somewhere in the worst of the 70's.

Around most local 'Timmys' are wonderful delis and independent, locally owned, coffee shops, where fresh, made on the premises, soups and sandwiches are available - where coffee is not only delicious but raised to an art form, and where eclectic interesting, decor trumps institutional.

That's my Sunday rant - Timmy aficionados feel free to rant back

Couldn't agree with you more.

[http]

Why oh why are there line-ups at TH's? I just don't get it.

I have noticed it at every TH I've gone to - they're *always* looking understaffed; that can't be by accident. I think it might be related to the Wal-Mart Myth that employees are an expense. I may have ranted on this topic before.

Look at it from the franchise owner's perspective. A customer waiting for staff doesn't cost anything. Staff waiting for customers costs wages.

It's not unusual (but sometimes unwise) for a business to attempt to slough off a cost to someone else. The money saved on wages comes out of customer goodwill and perception of service level.

[Sara]

I agree with you. I have stopped going to TH due to bad service, wrong orders, and long waits.

[yodsaker]

One things that turned me off was that I had to ask for cream in those little plastic thingies. I like adding my own, S'buck's style.
And some THs add a free dirty look if you ask for two pats of butter.

[G-Man]

Yeah TH is just gross. I wish there were real doughnut places in town... There used to be great place on Fraser in Vancouver but last time I was by there it was gone too.

If you are ever in Portland make sure you try Voodoo Doughnut it is awesome!!!

Mike this is the third Vic location as there is one in Hillside Mall too.

[mat]

No excuses on my end. I know it's lousy quality, but there's something comforting about it nonetheless. I don't like the donuts at all, but the coffee is strangely appealing. When I worked at the hospital, a coffee and and a toasted bagel got me through more than a few chilly mornings.

Audrey - is that the TH at Jubilee? The one that does not accept debit/visa - cash only?

One of the only times I have been truly angry at a retail outlet was a 2AM rush to Jubilee Emrg. last year for our son, waiting for hours...going for a coffee/bagels/drinks for 4 people when they opened at 6am and being told AFTER ORDERING and everything bagged, 'sorry - cash only' - and there was no sign announcing that.

A polite, but forceful, statement on 'what a waste of food - give it away' resulted in a security guard accosting us back in emergency as the TH manager called it in (non-payment on an order), and we received a written notice of future compliance with Jubilee 'civil order rules'.

A letter of complaint from us to Jubilee and Timmys resulted in a letter of apology from both Security and Admin - nothing from TH.

Until this thread got going I had forgotten about the incident - bit of a painful memory, but a major reason why I find TH less than reputable.

[North Shore]

Maybe being a little elitist on this post - but I have never understood the appeal of Tim Hortons. The squeals of delight from normally serious office employees when the boss waltzes in with a grease stained box of sugar coated, calorific, trans-fat laden and frankly tasteless lumps of dough - the morning and noon line ups out the door in freezing wind and rain to buy an over priced pre-processed lunch, and watery coffee from an outfit whose decor is stuck somewhere in the worst of the 70's.

Around most local 'Timmys' are wonderful delis and independent, locally owned, coffee shops, where fresh, made on the premises, soups and sandwiches are available - where coffee is not only delicious but raised to an art form, and where eclectic interesting, decor trumps institutional.

That's my Sunday rant - Timmy aficionados feel free to rant back

Harrumph! Back to Yuurp, you effete furriner! And take your eye-talian coffee with you! Next thing, you'll be dissing Celine;)

I think most people don't want to be seen as elitist, buying low-fat, decaf mochas, no foam or cream from their 'local' starbucks, and so tim's is seen as the 'Canadian' alternative. Also (Perhaps only speaking for myself here?) many of us don't have the experience to taste the difference between decent coffee and 'hot, wet and brown' so Tim's fits the bill most of the time..

[mat]

Harrumph! Back to Yuurp, you effete furriner! And take your eye-talian coffee with you! Next thing, you'll be dissing Celine;)

I think most people don't want to be seen as elitist, buying low-fat, decaf mochas, no foam or cream from their 'local' starbucks, and so tim's is seen as the 'Canadian' alternative. Also (Perhaps only speaking for myself here?) many of us don't have the experience to taste the difference between decent coffee and 'hot, wet and brown' so Tim's fits the bill most of the time..

Diss Celine? Thou joketh! Her rendition of Shook Me All Night Long is an absolute classic, and proof that true Canadian culture is alive and well!

As to the proletariat not having the pleasure, nay the necessity, of a daily civet cat ingested (and shat) coffee bean, finely ground with a barista rendition of Picasso's 'Guernica' in foam, all done with CBC radio 3 in the background - well fine! Don't live in Fort St. John!

If TH is the only cafe around - then my commiserations.

[Audrey]

Until this thread got going I had forgotten about the incident - bit of a painful memory, but a major reason why I find TH less than reputable.

Ouch, that IS miserable. What a horrific addition to a terrible night.

I think that Tim Horton's is actually just another hospital food service, which serves Tim Horton's, not an actual Tim Hortons. It might be more accurate to direct anger towards whoever holds the contract on food service for RJH. I'm not 100% sure on that, though.

There's now a bank machine around the corner by the doors, but yeah, the cash-only thing caught me the first time I went there, too.

[Mike K.]

Mike this is the third Vic location as there is one in Hillside Mall too.

Oh yeah!

When the downtown TH opened radio Dj's kept piping up that the City of Victoria finally had a TH.

And wasn't a TH slated to open at Douglas and Broughton where the credit union is now located?

[Audrey]

Oh right, I saw signs for one going in Mayfair Mall.

[sebberry]

I need to open a Tim Hortons in Oak Bay.. I don't think there is one around here and there are a lot of apartment buildings around.. would do well I think.

There is a Tim Hortons in the parking lot of where I work in Langford.. they have served me MANY breakfasts and lunches. I have to say tho that the speed of service is generally mediocre at best and the locally owned Teas and Beans in the Langford City Hall building is usually much faster.

OP: I have always wondered why they don't have "coffee only" (or "coffee and a donut only) tills to speed up service. They could open the till up during busy times only as I don't mind waiting a couple of minutes in the regular line during non-peak times.

[LJ]

I agree with you. I have stopped going to TH due to bad service, wrong orders, and long waits.

That reminds me of an old Yogi Berra saying " yeah nobody goes there anymore - it's too crowded" !!

[yodsaker]

That reminds me of an old Yogi Berra saying " yeah nobody goes there anymore - it's too crowded" !!

Another Yogi-ism:
Waiter: "Do you want your pizza cut in 6 or 8 slices?"

Yogi: "I'm really hungry, I'm gonna need 8 slices."