Can I use my baguette as a geology sample?
Written: Dec 05 '02
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Fast service, very clean...
Cons: Too bad the food's awful!
The Bottom Line: It's suffered a drop in quality lately, but it's still a cheap place for great snacks and drinks.
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| sshhaarroonn's Full Review: Tim Hortons |
*Note: I work at Tim's, but I still love their food...maybe my perspective is unique?*
Can I use my baguette as a geology sample? Because my sandwich is hard as a rock...
Tim Hortons. For those of you who don't know what Tim Hortons (without the apostrophe, I have been told) is, it's a donut chain that's on every corner in Canada, even though it's now owned by an American corporation. It made its inroads into Canadian life by first addicting us to sugary, fried donuts to down with a morning smoke back in the sixties.
As the years have passed, things have changed. No more smoking in Tim's, which I personally prayed for, since I'm not a big fan of nicotine laced fritters. Then again, the image of Jesus did appear at the Bras D'Or Tim's (true story). Now, since then, the menu has expanded considerably from just coffee and donuts. Tim Hortons now sells timbits (glorified donut holes), cheese danishes, cookies, sandwiches on buns or baguettes, soup, chili, bagels, pies, cakes, and muffins. Of course, we couldn't forget the Tim Hortons Promotional Merchandise! When I think Christmas presents, I think...big tubs of coffee! With Tim's cheery red signature across it...that and socks makes for a merry Christmas!
Unfortunately, in this age of diversification, something's got to go. In Tim's case, it was the quality. The new baguettes are stale once they drop off that baking pan. They go stale quickly, and you get less sandwich topping on a regular baguette than you do a sandwich bun. They are also quite expensive. The ham and swiss big baguette is $6.66 in Southern Ontario without a drink or donut. The toppings are also less than admirable. You get a choice of - get this - lettuce, tomato, or cucumber. Talk about variety. For that price, I seriously advise that you go to a sub shop instead.
Tim's also used to sell Higgins and Burke teas. There were the 'real' teas with caffeine, like lemon flavour, and Earl Gray, which were delicious. There were also a number of excellent herbal teas. They've now been replaced with Tim Hortons brand. Some taste the same to me, like the apple cinnamon, but the English Breakfast doesn't brew properly, and the green tea is probably the worst green tea I've ever tasted in my life. It tastes like window cleaner dyed green. Still, at only a dollar for an extra large, it's a pretty good deal if you're a tea drinker.
Saddest of all, the donuts have also suffered as of late. A long time ago, two or three months ago, in fact, Tim's still whipped up fresh donut batter, and fried their donuts fresh in the bakery of each store. I've never tasted anything to compare with a Tim's donut fresh from the fryer...though it was a nice try, Krispy Kreme. But now, we get...frozen donuts! Sacre bleu! What happened to their motto, ALWAYS FRESH? Anyhow, to make a long story shorter, the donuts aren't awful, they're just mediocre. They're like heavy balls of sugary lead, and are strangely chewy, reminding me of the first and last time I tried calamari.
However, Tim's still has some great things going for it. Their cookies are amazing, especially the chocolate chip. Same goes for their seasonal strawberry tarts, danishes, and their soup. I recommend the cream of broccoli - everything at Tim's is fattening, so you may as well go for the good stuff. Also try the iced cappuccino if you're into cheating on your diet. Yum! Cream whipped with sugar and coffee paste, frozen! Their bagels are fast and cheap, at only a dollar toasted and buttered, and their fruit-filled muffins, especially the fruit explosion, are unlike any other bakery's.
The service is also very fast, the result of numerous training posters and speed of service competitions. Tim Hortons frequently wins awards for its drive thru and front times. However, at night they are much slower, since they are usually left with only one or two people to run an entire store. My own store is exceptionally clean, though I have heard that many are pretty filthy. However, with the frequent Always Fresh evaluations TDL gives the stores, it seems unlikely that any terrible infractions could happen in a Tim's store.
On that note, I'll conclude...I'm craving a honey cruller, and there's a Tim Hortons right down the road...
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
sshhaarroonn
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Location: Restaurant at the end of the Universe...
Reviews written: 28
Trusted by: 5 members
About Me:
The main reception foyer was almost empty but Ford nevertheless weaved his way through it...
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