Tim Horton's dissapoints coffee drinkers in Canada;)

The Toronto Star Wrote: Two weeks after an employee at a Tim Hortons in London was fired, then rehired, after she gave a child a free Timbit, Toronto investment manager Teresa Lee bought breakfast Wednesday for a pregnant homeless woman at a Tim Hortons downtown – then was scolded by a restaurant employee unhappy that the homeless woman stayed in the restaurant to eat.

Shawn_H	Apr 26, 08, 19:02 / #
polishcanuck: sweeter than timmies' Timmy's is spotty for consistency. Sometimes a large regular tastes the same as a double double from the same shop a day before...

miranda	Edited by: miranda May 16, 08, 08:25 / #
just to report to all Starbucks lover's that from this week on they are also serving BREAKFAST now.

Shawn_H	May 16, 08, 08:33 / #
mmmmm... I can't wait to pay 7$ for a stale croissant! And to wash it down with bitter coffee! :-)

szarlotkaThreads: 14 Posts: 3,340 Joined: Feb 20, 07	May 16, 08, 08:35 / #
miranda: just to report to all Starbucks lover's that form this week on they are also serving BREAKFAST now So they'll be serving coffee without coffee and bacon sandwiches without bacon. Sounds like an even better reason for never darkening their doors again LOL Viva Cafe Nero

miranda	Edited by: miranda May 16, 08, 08:45 / #
I might consider switching but old habits die hard. But first I have to try their breakfast before making such a switch. I can always create an account, so people can donate money for my expensive addiction;)

szarlotkaThreads: 14 Posts: 3,340 Joined: Feb 20, 07	May 16, 08, 08:49 / #
miranda: old habits die hard. True. Anyways maybe the Starbucks coffee over there is better than the Uk version where you have to have a triple shot just to taste any coffee! Glad you enjoyed NYC so much

miranda	May 16, 08, 08:57 / #
szarlotka: Anyways maybe the Starbucks coffee over there is better than the Uk version where you have to have a triple shot just to taste any coffee! maybe. I usually have 1/2 decaf in mine. I find the coffee quite strong. szarlotka: Glad you enjoyed NYC so much thank you. It was a lot of drama, but I guess spending time on PF really seasoned me;0.

Shawn_H	May 16, 08, 09:05 / #
miranda: I can always create an account, so people can donate money for my expensive addiction;) Yes, maybe they can donate here. I am sure admin wouldn't mind sharing... miranda: I might consider switching but old habits die hard Maybe we could start the transition slowly at first. Start off at Country Style first with a few trips through Tims just to get used to the smell of real coffee before the real switch....

z_dariusThreads: 22 Posts: 5,091 Joined: Oct 18, 07	May 16, 08, 09:09 / #
polishcanuck: Still cheaper than starbucks. Starbucks? Why would someone want to spend $5+ for a cup of coffee? But then, Starbucks is not really about coffee. To me it looks like a place where younger (and some older) singles (or those who pretend to be singles) go to scoop other singles (or those who pretend to be singles), but most it seems, end up chatting on their MacBooks with people in other Starbucks joints. I saw a Dell once too.

Shawn_H	May 16, 08, 09:14 / #
z_darius: Dell Such Riff-raff. Pffft.

Shawn_H	May 16, 08, 09:18 / #
szarlotka: Blimey I own a Dell :-) Just poking fun at the Scarducks crowd.

z_dariusThreads: 22 Posts: 5,091 Joined: Oct 18, 07	May 16, 08, 11:11 / #
miranda: in order to see it you must have spend some time to make such observations. LOL. They tend to run these Starbucks places in Chapters book stores, so no, you don't need to be a Starbucks customer to see them fashionable MacBook users for free :) But honestly, I was in Starbucks as a customer 2 (that's two) times in my life, and not once in Canada.

miranda	May 16, 08, 11:31 / #
z_darius: But honestly, I was in Starbucks as a customer 2 (that's two) times in my life, and not once in Canada. well, that this observation does not apply to the places I go:)LOL. I just like the place and I am not going to analyze the crowd, because eventhough there maybe some truth to it, it is nice to have a place to hang around, which is not a club. Sometimes people need to be in a public place simply to relax, instead of having an agenda, or some hidden motives. I thied a cafe in Vienna, Berlin and Paris and it was natural to sit there for hours, so why not in North America. Why does it have to be with a purpose other than having a coffee and realaxing, which Starbucks provides. One goes to any other coffee shop and the is a sign of max 20 min.

z_dariusThreads: 22 Posts: 5,091 Joined: Oct 18, 07	May 23, 08, 23:10 / #
Shawn_H: Shawn_H In Tim Hortons (and likely in other similar joints) they will throw excess food out, or they will give it to someone (for free) who will feed it to cattle or pigs, but a minimum wage employee cannot have a donut for free. They have to pay. Whether they in fact do or not is another story.

szarlotkaThreads: 14 Posts: 3,340 Joined: Feb 20, 07	Edited by: szarlotka May 16, 08, 09:16 / #
Shawn_H: Such Riff-raff Blimey. There's more MacBiggots here than in the Glasgow Telephone directory.

z_dariusThreads: 22 Posts: 5,091 Joined: Oct 18, 07	May 16, 08, 09:22 / #
Shawn_H: Such Riff-raff. Pffft. True. But to be fair, the person had one of the newer Inspirons, those with white strips around the edges, so the uninitiated could have been fooled. Of course Dell Inspiron allows to chat in Starbucks for 1/3 of what it costs to do the same with MacBook. Actually, a cell phone will do ;)

Shawn_H	May 23, 08, 14:06 / #
And in Starbuck's, the pregnant homeless woman never would have made it past the threshhold. Unless she had a shiny new Mac under her arm that is.... The Toronto Star Wrote: Two weeks after an employee at a Tim Hortons in London was fired, then rehired, after she gave a child a free Timbit, Toronto investment manager Teresa Lee bought breakfast Wednesday for a pregnant homeless woman at a Tim Hortons downtown – then was scolded by a restaurant employee unhappy that the homeless woman stayed in the restaurant to eat. linky thingy...

PuzzyThreads: 1 Posts: 180 Joined: May 1, 08	May 31, 08, 06:25 / #
miranda: Tim Horton's is an iconic coffee shop - The worst 'coffee' I've ever had. Why on earth would the shop be 'iconic'?! As for its name, it should be rather called Tim Horrible. :)

Shawn_H	May 31, 08, 06:46 / #
Puzzy: it should be rather called Tim Horrible In your opinion Puzzy, do you believe Tim Horton's coffee to be worse than Starbucks? If so, on what criteria is this opinion based.

PuzzyThreads: 1 Posts: 180 Joined: May 1, 08	May 31, 08, 06:55 / #
Shawn_H: Tim Horton's coffee to be worse than Starbucks? - Starbucks coffee in Canada is the best Starbucks coffee I've ever had - I mean it. Especially their Americano - oh God! Nowhere else it's as good as in Canada! But Tim Horton's coffee is crap. This opinion is based on evidence derived from my palate. ;)

Shawn_H	May 31, 08, 07:03 / #
Puzzy: - Starbucks coffee in Canada is the best Starbucks coffee I've ever had So other Starbucks (American, European etc...) don't measure up to Canadian Starbucks? What is the difference? I have found Starbucks to offer a very bitter coffee, which tends to upset my stomach (Both Canadian and American Stores). Puzzy: But Tim Horton's coffee is crap I don't think Immigration will let you back into the country based on that attitude :-) Puzzy: This opinion is based on evidence derived from my palate. I would say it is time to have your palate adjusted ;-) Finally, you and Miranda agree on something....?

PuzzyThreads: 1 Posts: 180 Joined: May 1, 08	Edited by: Puzzy May 31, 08, 07:22 / #
Shawn_H: So other Starbucks (American, European etc...) don't measure up to Canadian Starbucks? - Nope. The Americano from Starbucks anywhere in Canada is the best I've ever had. Better than in Vienna, which is where coffee in Europe is truly good. Why is it so? Americano in Canada is as potent as it should be, I guess. Shawn_H: I don't think Immigration will let you back - I'm not coming back and never shall, Shawn. I've just renounced my citizenship. It's got nix to do with you and a few other Canadian friends. .

osiolThreads: 59 Posts: 4,714 Joined: Jul 25, 07	May 31, 08, 07:28 / #
Do any of these coffee places genuinely offer something different, something special? A well known brand name is enough to make some people reassured enough, but if the only difference is the colour of the tables and chairs, then they're not really offering something new. I have quite a narrow range of coffees - Illy expresso (black) that comes in a nice tin, or some of that fair trade stuff from Whittards. There is a choice of one of the two mustard yellow mugs or the "Coffee - You can sleep when you're dead" mug. The seats aren't very comfortable. The service is awful, but you don't always have to wash up your own mug.

PuzzyThreads: 1 Posts: 180 Joined: May 1, 08	May 31, 08, 07:52 / #
osiol: Do any of these coffee places genuinely offer something different - If you ever drop into Starbucks in Vancouver, Canada, go for their Americano, man. You won't regret it.

Shawn_H	May 31, 08, 07:53 / #
osiol: Do any of these coffee places genuinely offer something different, something special? For me, coffee while out either revolves around a) a journey somewhere (Toronto to Detroit car ride etc...) or b) while away from home doing some errands (a day of shopping, or a very long stroll with the family). Tim Horton's (a large, national chain) has a nice variety of baked goods (doughnuts, muffins, bagels) and some light food menu choices (soups, sandwiches, chili's) as well. So it is well positioned to attract a wide variety of consumers at different times during the day. The coffee is generally good for mass produced coffee (in my opinion), but is spotty at times when you compare one store to the next (ie. a large regular - milk and sugar - tastes like a double-double - two milk and two sugar - in another store. I don't really enjoy Starbucks because of the bitterness of the coffee and the marginally higher prices (some may debate both points...). There are other chains out there serving coffee, which I do frequent at times (Timothy's, Second Cup etc) but they have a variety of coffee blends to choose from -Indonesian, Strong, Jamaican etc., which is a nice choice. These places do charge a premium for their product, but it is generally worth it.

GarysmilesThreads: - Posts: 1 Joined: Jun 8, 08	Jun 8, 08, 19:10 / #
Hi! I'm just digging into my family roots and found this website, with an article on Canada's Timmies (Tim Hortons).... now a foreign owned chain coffee shop. Well, I I'd like to know what a Polish cafe would be like for reaching folks in Canada? It need not be coffee, but what beverages and foods would you serve folks here? What would the "theme" be? How would you dress the staff? Would you sell any products of Poland? What? (I once bought a Polish coffee substitute made from roots, but it wasn't so good. It had a name like "Inka.") I have never visited Poland and great-grandpa's cooking from the "old country" in Carpathia is distant in my memory now - alas his wife and daughter died before my birth! He would put potatoes or cheeses and stuff in dough covering - like Ukraine pyrogies - and boil it and fry it and serve with sour cream, and sweet ones with jams. Also stuffed cabbages. And he had a tasty strong liquor I wasn't to drink. Please let me know what brilliant ideas you come up with! PS: I don't know the old language. Sorry. It's been a century since he left Europe!

GOD	May 19, 09, 22:15 / #
I hate Starbucks, but Tim Horton's sucks too, I perfer small family owned coffeeshops, at least they are not owned by huge conglomorates. Plus Tim's is not even really a Canadian company anymore, Wendy's owns them, an American company.

Lir	May 19, 09, 22:56 / #
GOD: I hate Starbucks, So do I :) Costa Coffee is very good. We have a an independent shop and they use fresh Belgian chocolate shavings if you order a cappuchino LOL. There coffee was the best and was very hot too ! Yummy. Cafe Nero I find isn't as good as it used to be, :)

rdywenurThreads: 5 Posts: 175 Joined: Jun 28, 08	May 20, 09, 07:40 / #
Starbucks is all hype...and its not regular coffee but an expresso bean plus highly overpriced. Tim Hortons I always can count on for fresh real "regular coffee" But my favorite is Dunkin Donuts coffee..they've been around before Starbucks, before Tim Hortons...like forever. Can't beat a true cup of java. When I wish for a Latte I will stop at a Starbucks.