[AlvinofDiaspar]

The McDonald's coffee I had at Piccadilly Circus earlier this year was truly awful. Worse than any I've had anywhere else.

Don't have to go that far - McD coffee south of the border. Costa isn't bad, just uninspiring for that price pre-exchange rate. Had far, far better coffee in Spain - doesn't matter whether it was chain or individual cafes, they're all good and cheap (save for Renfe - which served terrible coffee on the trains)

As to having McD at Piccadilly - my sympathies.

AoD

 

[Neutrino]

Haha, well, I arrived early in the morning on a bank holiday so it was deserted. I just needed some cheap caffeine to keep me awake.

 

[Towered]

I miss the Starbucks that closed in Cabbagetown. Yesterday out on a walk with the family I popped into the Timmies at Parliament and Winchester for a coffee and some tim bits. Jes#s, the sea of humanity sitting in there loitering (few had any food or coffee visible) makes the Star Wars cantina seem civilized. Line-up was massive and I can never find a damn staff who speaks and understands clear English, and then they have almost no tim bits and mostly empty shelves, and lastly the coffee was, as I then remembered as always, terrible unless flavoured with cow squeezings and sugar.

Before it closed, Cabbagetown's Starbucks was the best. Rarely a line-up, no rollies/roach porch pirate types, coherent, fluent staff and a good product. Damn, Timmies, you're no Starbucks.

I had the same experience at the Tim's at Parliament and Winchester - lots of shady looking types seemingly loitering, and the service was horrible. This unfortunately is a typical Tim's experience at many locations. I get the impression they exploit immigrants with poor English skills, which makes the experience as a customer frustrating. It's night and day when compared with the average Starbucks - they seem to employ more hipster style, cheery student types who are generally very friendly, knowledgeable about the product, speak flawless English and are motivated to make your experience pleasant. Why anyone puts up with Tim's at this point is beyond me.

 

[Richard White]

I had the same experience at the Tim's at Parliament and Winchester - lots of shady looking types seemingly loitering, and the service was horrible. This unfortunately is a typical Tim's experience at many locations. I get the impression they exploit immigrants with poor English skills, which makes the experience as a customer frustrating. It's night and day when compared with the average Starbucks - they seem to employ more hipster style, cheery student types who are generally very friendly, knowledgeable about the product, speak flawless English and are motivated to make your experience pleasant. Why anyone puts up with Tim's at this point is beyond me.

Years ago my entire family worked at the Markham and Lawrence Tim Hortons (now closed) in Scarborough. Everyone spoke fluent English and it was a well run store. The staff were all white middle aged women with the occasional Filipino but everyone was friendly, few mistakes were made.

The problem is that the pay is low so nobody really wants to work there. You have to go to Niagara Falls or the boonies to get a well run Tims. Working in condo security for years I find that various cultures and ethnicities work together for ease during work. They may not understand English very well but they understand their colleagues who speak Hindi, Punjab, Tamil and Urdu very well.

 

[lenaitch]

I am always sad when I am caught on Bloor Street in the Starbucks desert that is between Bathurst and Dufferin.

How do some people survive.

 

[gabe]

Years ago my entire family worked at the Markham and Lawrence Tim Hortons (now closed) in Scarborough. Everyone spoke fluent English and it was a well run store. The staff were all white middle aged women with the occasional Filipino but everyone was friendly, few mistakes were made.

The problem is that the pay is low so nobody really wants to work there. You have to go to Niagara Falls or the boonies to get a well run Tims. Working in condo security for years I find that various cultures and ethnicities work together for ease during work. They may not understand English very well but they understand their colleagues who speak Hindi, Punjab, Tamil and Urdu very well.

Does Starbucks really pay that much better? At least Starbucks knows how to train the workers. i rarely get bad service at Starbucks.

It's not always the workers fault, i blame the owners and managers too. They hire workers and throw them in the restaurant with no training by the looks of it. Workers with poor English skills are put on Drive-thru and cash.i have been stuck in line for a long time because the two workers didn't know how use the latte machine. They had to wait for someone to come from break to show them how to use it. Never get that at Starbucks.

About 10 years ago or so, my local Tim Horton's was really well run. It was owned by an east Indian couple. Talk about hands on owners, they were there almost everyday, working the cash, cleaning tables, talking with customers. They ran a tight ship. The new owners that took over, i never see there. And the place has gone to shit, like just about every other Horton's.

 

[Richard White]

Does Starbucks really pay that much better? At least Starbucks knows how to train the workers. i rarely get bad service at Starbucks.

It's not always the workers fault, i blame the owners and managers too. They hire workers and throw them in the restaurant with no training by the looks of it. Workers with poor English skills are put on Drive-thru and cash.i have been stuck in line for a long time because the two workers didn't know how use the latte machine. They had to wait for someone to come from break to show them how to use it. Never get that at Starbucks.

About 10 years ago or so, my local Tim Horton's was really well run. It was owned by an east Indian couple. Talk about hands on owners, they were there almost everyday, working the cash, cleaning tables, talking with customers. They ran a tight ship. The new owners that took over, i never see there. And the place has gone to shit, like just about every other Horton's.

Starbucks pays 17 an hour I believe plus tips, benefits and other perks. They also offer in house training to their staff to further their career options.

I know people who work for them and they are very much focused on the employee more-so than the products. Not saying starbucks is perfect but they have a desire to make the store experience better. You can see that with the way the stores are laid out.

 

[AlbertC]

I am always sad when I am caught on Bloor Street in the Starbucks desert that is between Bathurst and Dufferin.

There's a Starbucks at the NE corner of Bloor & Gladstone though, one block east of Dufferin.

 

[SunriseChampion]

You guys do realise that Timmy's use a lot of temporary foreign workers, yes?

Anyway, the best coffee is made at home.

 

[junctionist]

I'm always on the lookout for a nice indie coffee shop, be it on Bloor Street or Main Street in a small town.

 

[Richard White]

I'm always on the lookout for a nice indie coffee shop, be it on Bloor Street or Main Street in a small town.

Look at Hula Girl coffee in the Junction. They have Shroom coffee.

 

[Neutrino]

Look at Hula Girl coffee in the Junction. They have Shroom coffee.

Is that what I think it is?

Also, is vodka-coffee a thing? I vaguely recall seeing something along those lines a few years back in the west end. Maybe I'm mistaken, but hopefully not...

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

You guys do realise that Timmy's use a lot of temporary foreign workers, yes?

Not necessarily here - I think it was more an issue out in AB - particularly during the boom years.

As to English fluency - it may be an issue at cash, but not really the main issue with their experience otherwise. If their product is cr*p no amount of customer service can make it good.

One big difference is S'bucks stores are corporate - there is no franchisee needing to cut corners for franchise fees plus their own slice of profit. My gut feeling is - never trust a chain that embarks on a massive expansion plan on the back of selling franchises - it doesn't end well.

The problem is that the pay is low so nobody really wants to work there. You have to go to Niagara Falls or the boonies to get a well run Tims. Working in condo security for years I find that various cultures and ethnicities work together for ease during work. They may not understand English very well but they understand their colleagues who speak Hindi, Punjab, Tamil and Urdu very well.

Tim's outside Toronto being "well-run"? Maybe - if service speed wasn't a measure - it's geriatric.

AoD

 

[Richard White]

Is that what I think it is?

It was at the CNE, not Psychotropic but medicinal herbal mushrooms. They had energy mushrooms, calming mushrooms, ones to aid in digestions, etc.

 

[SunriseChampion]

It was at the CNE, not Psychotropic but medicinal herbal mushrooms. They had energy mushrooms, calming mushrooms, ones to aid in digestions, etc.

Sounds great. I love mushrooms but don't know much about anything beyond chaga and psilocybes....and I guess amanitas.

Energy mushrooms: the meth of the fungal world. Beware.