Donuts, is there anything they can't do?
Written: Jun 03 '01 (Updated Jun 03 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Wicked coffee, kickass donuts, and even breadbowls of chili
Cons: Staffers more often than not line up the drinking tab with the cup seam!
The Bottom Line: Lookin' sharp, Ed!
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| egulphy's Full Review: Tim Hortons |
NOTE: Let me start out by pointing out that "TIM HORTONS" is a misnomer of sorts, as many of the first restaurants correctly displayed the name of the store as "TIM HORTON'S DONUTS" with an apostrophe in the name, as it rightly should be in the proprietary sense of a place belonging to TIM HORTON. Since the merger with Wendy's, who don't seem to forget about the apostrophe in THEIR name, more signs reading "TIM HORTONS" have popped up in various locations, even in Canada.
Mmmmm, donuts
Nothing says CANADA more than hockey, beer, and donut shops. Okay, so there's no beer here (except for the parking lot on a Saturday night), but hockey and donuts are covered with the presence of Tim Horton's donut shops.
Go Tim Go!
First opened by former Toronto Maple Leaf (as well as a NY Ranger, Pittsburgh Penguin, and Buffalo Sabre) Tim Horton in 1964, what started as a small coffee shop in Hamilton, Ontario, has since grown into Canada's largest chain of donut shops. As it continues to grow at an alarming rate (Brantford must reign supreme as the Tim's capital of Canada, as it boasts approximately one Tim's per 5000 residents), it also has expanded into the U.S. (south of Buffalo, where Horton's name as a Sabre helped establish a following). This is due to the fact that in 1992, Tim Horton's merged with Dave Thomas' Wendy's chain, and have since opened up many rest stop Wendy's/Tim's combo restaurants.
Branching Out the Menu
Since the '70's and '80's, many things have changed in coffee drinking habits. There are still many a coffee junkie who appreciates nothing more than his or her daily double-double, but since the introduction of high-brow coffee shops like Starbuck's have infiltrated the market, the tastes of some have changed, and the market has also opened up to include the sort of clientele who wouldn't set foot in a smoke-filled coffee shop of the 1980's. Tim's accomplished this by introducing cappucinos and business-lunch sandwiches to their menu.
Smokers Under Glass
In 1983, Tim Horton's opened the first non-smoking restaurant, again in Hamilton, Ontario. The concept of a non-smoking coffee shop seemed foreign at the time, but was eventually even appreciated by some smokers, as the donuts had always sat out in the open, less than three feet away from the "barstool seats" (of the old-school Tim's design). Even as a smoker myself when Tim's started "going non-smoking", I appreciated the "donuts don't taste like ashtrays anymore" concept.
Some Tim Horton's still permit smoking, but you won't find them anywhere near the donuts. The designers of newer Tim Horton's who wished to include a space for those addicted to nicotine as well as caffeine have come up with a glass-enclosed "solarium of smoke" to facilitate the puffing of the twigs, keeping smokers and non-smokers alike happy.
Rrrrrrroll up the rim!
Every spring, consumption of Tim Horton's coffee goes through the roof (and thumbs get very sore, as the ad campaign would have you believe), thanks to Horton's "Roll Up The Rim" campaign. Every year, vehicles, barbeques, bicycles, and various foodstuffs are given away to winners who roll up winning tabs on their coffee cups. Aside from being brilliant marketers, they are also charitable, and do a great deal of work for children's charities, and send thousands of kids to summer camp every year.
Oh, those ads!
Up until recently, Tim Horton's ads were never spotted on TV. The coffee shops were just...there! There was no need to advertise. However, with their foot in more doors (hockey arenas, college and university campuses, Canadian Tire stores, hospitals, and many other once-unlikely locations), it was only inevitable that Tim's ads would begin showing up on our TV's.
This is far from a bad thing. Unlike the marketing geniuses behind KFC's "Cartoon Colonel" campaign, all of the Tim's ads have been absolutely brilliant. From the ad with the office staffer named Doug, who dodges everyone in the office (with soupspoon in tow) to get out for lunch, to the "Roll Up the Rim" ads with the giant-thumbed family, they all display a bit of advertising brilliance.
Drink water...
Writing a review recommending Tim Horton's to Canadians is not unlike writing a review stating, "Water is pretty good...you should try it sometime!". However, for American Epinions readers who may be blessed with a Tim's in their neighbourhood in the near future, or find themselves in Canada wondering why this Tim guy has a shop on virtually every corner, this review is for them!
P.S.: If you go through the drive-thru, you don't have to ask for a coffee to go!!!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
egulphy
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Location: Brantford, Ontario
Reviews written: 21
Trusted by: 2 members
About Me:
The Paperless One is opinionated as h, so therefore, trust him to paint your chair.
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