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Good Coffee; edible baked goods, vaguely comfy chairs that would work.

The former really is an easy fix; as is the latter; that middle one, to me, requires bringing back in-store scratch baking which they ditched more than a decade ago now.

Not sure how feasible that would be given current store layouts.

Also, I don't give a @#$# whether they think its too snobby any place that wants my breakfast vote should be able to make freshly-squeezed OJ; none of the packaged product is very good.

I found their recent rebranding/store renos at odds with their chain - I much prefer the classic look and feel (the almost clinical space, reusable dishware/flatware)...that, and edible food. I was miffed one of the store near where I lived finally renovated to the new, personality free standards.

And why sell juice even? Their bottled stuff is crap - they can't even be bothered to reconstitute it from frozen concentrate and offer it in a proper glass.

AoD
 
It doesn't have to be cool (it was never, and will never be cool) - it has to taste good (and it doesn't). For a chain that is supposed to be about bedrock values, it couldn't do the basics right.

AoD

Keep in mind too that when Tim's was founded your bougie coffees like your Caramel Machiatto, your Strawberry Frappuccino and your No Fat, No whip, PSL never existed.

Back in the 60s and 70s you went for coffee and donuts. Thats it. Your coffee had milk and sugar nothing more. It wasn't fancy but it worked.

Tim's cant keep up because it was not their core business model. The public perception is that they are solely a coffee and donuts store. They have a monopoly in the rural areas because Starbucks cannot compete there. The business model for Starbucks is such that they need fresh product often which is not something you can do in Iqaluit, Yellowknife or Saskatoon. Imagine what those fancy drinks would cost in Yellowknife?

My point is Starbucks style drinks are what people want now and despite a feeble attempt to compete Tim's cant keep up. Iced Cappuccinos were just a stop gap. They cannot compare to the drinks starbucks has.
 
Keep in mind too that when Tim's was founded your bougie coffees like your Caramel Machiatto, your Strawberry Frappuccino and your No Fat, No whip, PSL never existed.

Back in the 60s and 70s you went for coffee and donuts. Thats it. Your coffee had milk and sugar nothing more. It wasn't fancy but it worked.

Tim's cant keep up because it was not their core business model. The public perception is that they are solely a coffee and donuts store. They have a monopoly in the rural areas because Starbucks cannot compete there. The business model for Starbucks is such that they need fresh product often which is not something you can do in Iqaluit, Yellowknife or Saskatoon. Imagine what those fancy drinks would cost in Yellowknife?

My point is Starbucks style drinks are what people want now and despite a feeble attempt to compete Tim's cant keep up. Iced Cappuccinos were just a stop gap. They cannot compare to the drinks starbucks has.

Let's face it - their specialty coffee is relatively cheap but sh*tty. I just do not get why their ice cap is so popular - it's syrupy gross; their lattes are p*ss weak.

They are chasing a market that aren't theirs - and giving up their core business doing so.

And honestly S'buck is a bad model to follow - $5+ for a drink is a lot (for what it offers) - bad cost/benefit. It was cool - 2 decades ago.

AoD
 
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Let's face it - their specialty coffee is relatively cheap but sh*tty. I just do not get why their ice cap is so popular - it's syrupy gross; their lattes are p*ss weak.

They are chasing a market that aren't theirs - and giving up their core business doing so.

AoD

I hate to say it but I fully expect tims to fold in the near future or at least be absorbed into another chain.

It has become so unprofitable recently that it may not be sustainable long term.
 
I hate to say it but I fully expect tims to fold in the near future or at least be absorbed into another chain.

It has become so unprofitable recently that it may not be sustainable long term.

Is it unprofitable though? Stagnating as it is, I am not getting the impression that it is losing money (considering the morning Methadone lineups).

AoD
 
Is it unprofitable though? Stagnating as it is, I am not getting the impression that it is losing money (considering the morning Methadone lineups).

AoD

Their profits are dropping like a stone compared to the other brands in the RBI portfolio.

I wouldn't be surprised. Given how many times Tims has screwed up orders it is not inconceivable.
 
I found their recent rebranding/store renos at odds with their chain - I much prefer the classic look and feel (the almost clinical space, reusable dishware/flatware)...that, and edible food. I was miffed one of the store near where I lived finally renovated to the new, personality free standards.

And why sell juice even? Their bottled stuff is crap - they can't even be bothered to reconstitute it from frozen concentrate and offer it in a proper glass.

AoD

Agree on reusable plates/mugs etc.

On look; the stores of my childhood/teens were incredibly ugly (yellow/brown colour scheme, succeeded by pastels of green/pink) I have no lament for either; the current look has its own problems, I'd prefer it was 'warmer', but w/e.

As to juice, I simply think on a hot, sticky morning, I'm not always up for a warm beverage, and since I don't want to start my morning w/pop; fresh OJ would be nice. In this age of mechanized peelers/juicers, you don't need to upskill your staff that much. Just charge $4 for a small GLASS of OJ and we're good. Their bottled stuff is hopeless, which is why they need something much, much better.

As to food, outside of the baked goods category I don't think Tim's ever served edible food. I've tried it exactly twice in my life. Once when I was just starting to work FT and taking an evening class at the same time that I had to get to 1-hour after work.....and I wanted something I could grab on the way.....I tried the chili. It looked like dogfood, and while I'm no expert on what dog food tastes like, I feel confident it doesn't taste much better. I couldn't get past the second spoonful before tossing it and going hungry.

I also tried their sandwich once when visiting someone in hospital on a busy day. The bread was awful, the condiments awful, the meat awful it was again a 2-bite waste.

I think they'd be better off abandoning the non-baked goods food program, at least outside of breakfast stuff and concentrate on getting the rest right.
 
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Their profits are dropping like a stone compared to the other brands in the RBI portfolio.

I wouldn't be surprised. Given how many times Tims has screwed up orders it is not inconceivable.

What bothers me is that the RBI leadership seems to be intent on chasing the mythical demographic for Tims - clearly they have no clue where they've went wrong.

(Mind you, I don't consider BK nor Popeye's all that great either, and I freely admit my palate is fairly degraded already).

AoD
 
What bothers me is that the RBI leadership seems to be intent on chasing the mythical demographic for Tims - clearly they have no clue where they've went wrong.

(Mind you, I don't consider BK nor Popeye's all that great either, and I freely admit my palate is fairly degraded already).

AoD

Popeyes is pure grease while BK is corn meal and processed crap
 
Popeyes is pure grease while BK is corn meal and processed crap

Honestly, they're like Yum! Brands - a portfolio that holds absolutely no interest to me (and one that seem to have went through a significant contraction in Canada as well)

On look; the stores of my childhood/teens were incredibly ugly (yellow/brown colour scheme, succeeded by pastels of green/pink) I have no lament for either; the current look has its own problems, I'd prefer it was 'warmer', but w/e.

As to juice, I simply think on a hot, sticky morning, I'm not always up for a warm beverage, and since I don't want to start my morning w/pop; fresh OJ would be nice. In this age of mechanized peelers/juicers, you don't need to upskill your staff that much. Just charge $4 for a small GLASS of OJ and we're good. Their bottled stuff is hopeless, which is why they need something much, much better.

As to food, outside of the baked goods category I don't think Tim's ever served edible food. I've tried it exactly twice in my life. Once when I was just starting to work FT and taking an evening class at the same time that I had to get to 1-hour after work.....and I wanted something I could grab on the way.....I tried the chili. It looked like dogfood, and while I'm no expert on what dog food tastes like, I feel confident it doesn't taste much better. I could get past the second spoonful before tossing it and going hungry.

I also tried their sandwich once when visiting someone in hospital on a busy day. The bread was awful, the condiments awful, the meat awful it was again a 2-bite waste.

I think they'd be better off abandoning the non-baked goods food program, at least outside of breakfast stuff and concentrate on getting the rest right.

You definitely have lower tolerance for industrial food than me. I don't think their baked/hot food is stellar (their soups in particular always have an unfortunate snotty consistency which I find off-putting) but it used to be edible - not the dog chow that it is now.

As to sticky summers - better off sticking with ice water I think!

AoD
 
Their profits are dropping like a stone compared to the other brands in the RBI portfolio.

I wouldn't be surprised. Given how many times Tims has screwed up orders it is not inconceivable.

Uhhh

Just so we're clear, Tim's is the largest sales driver and profit driver in the RBI group, as per this report.

Yes, its stales are flat to marginally declining in Canada on a 12-month basis; but they are rather a long way from closing the doors, LOL


Lets also remember they still own 70% of the retail coffee market in Canada.

That's a ridiculous amount that no one else is yet a serious rival to; and by its nature limits growth prospects.

I'm the first to dump on Tim's or McDs, but neither brand is going anywhere, anytime soon.

BK has 1/2 the sales of Tim's; and about 20% less profit. based on the above.
 
I had the unfortunate experience of visiting several of Tim's 24 hour locations when i was stuck on the night shift doing a coffee run for the guys. Tim's at 3 am is on a whole new level of horrible. Even at 3 am when the place is completely empty the goofballs working behind the counter will still ignore you at the cash for at least 5 minutes. The coffee is stale, shelves are empty, tables are dirty and the staff stands around socializing and goofing around, while customers wait in line. Only Horton's can get away with this, any other restaurant did this, they would be out of business in no time.
You have to ask the front-end staff to make a new batch of coffee in your presence if you want fresh coffee at 3 am. Don't be afraid to give them stink, customer is right and that coffee has been sitting around at least since 1 am.

Much less trouble for the front-end staff to make a new batch of coffee than it is for them to argue with a customer.
 
You definitely have lower tolerance for industrial food than me. I don't think their baked/hot food is stellar (their soups in particular always have an unfortunate snotty consistency which I find off-putting) but it used to be edible - not the dog chow that it is now.

Years ago, you could get quality pies along with made to order cakes made in house.

When they stopped doing things in house and went to previously frozen or pre-made items like dough the quality took a nosedive.Tim's can talk to the talk but their soups and sandwiches are not of the same quality they were when they were introduced in the 1990s.

That being said their service quality is poor also. I have gone into various Tim Hortons in Scarborough where it is not uncommon to wait at the cash for 5-6 minutes while the entire staff work the drive through. I have actually asked them on some occasions if they have staff who actually work the cash.
 
Years ago, you could get quality pies along with made to order cakes made in house.

When they stopped doing things in house and went to previously frozen or pre-made items like dough the quality took a nosedive.Tim's can talk to the talk but their soups and sandwiches are not of the same quality they were when they were introduced in the 1990s.

That being said their service quality is poor also. I have gone into various Tim Hortons in Scarborough where it is not uncommon to wait at the cash for 5-6 minutes while the entire staff work the drive through. I have actually asked them on some occasions if they have staff who actually work the cash.

It is a shame that ever since RBI took control of Timmies things have been horrible.... I feel like RBI is to blame for many of the things that have happened to them lately. They can try with their pasteries but no thanks, McDonalds is better then them now. And when one of the world's greediest corporations is better then you, you know you did something wrong.
 
It is a shame that ever since RBI took control of Timmies things have been horrible.... I feel like RBI is to blame for many of the things that have happened to them lately. They can try with their pasteries but no thanks, McDonalds is better then them now. And when one of the world's greediest corporations is better then you, you know you did something wrong.

It is why I go to Starbucks. I know I am getting actual coffee that is fresh and the staff are attentive.
 

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