Timmies; 7 reasons why...

[Mike Mercury]

Canadians love Tim Hortons



1) It’s part of the cultural identity.
Right from its beginnings, Tim Hortons touched on a part of Canadian culture; it was a small store, started by a former hockey player and bearing his name. People liked that it shared their identity from hockey to coffee, and so bought its coffee often. Soon there were more, and you could get a similar cup and donut if you were in another part of Ontario, then in another part of Canada. It was something that, as a country, they could share.

2) It’s not Starbucks.
The taste of the two coffees is fairly comparable, but in a Starbucks, you need to order a Tall Mocha-Frappucino Skinny Latte Non-fat Soy Cream in a handspun mug with toasted cinnamon.
In Tim Horton’s, you order a large double double. In other words, the false pretension is dropped; if you want a coffee, you get a coffee. You don’t have to have a complex, individualized order.

3) It’s Canadian.
While the fact that it’s part of the cultural identity has already been touched on, the fact that the business itself is headquartered in Canada is an important part of the love. It was born in Canada. It grew up in Canada.

4) The Timmies experience.
There’s a social aspect when you go in to a Tim Hortons store. It’s like break time at work (for many, they go DURING break time at work). People are friendly, you have rest, and you can sit down and talk to your friends for a little while. The daily positive emotions with that break mean that whenever you walk in, you know you can just relax, and enjoy a coffee.

5) The morning wake up.
It’s a ubiquitous part of society that we need our morning wake up, usually in the form of coffee (though there are a few hold outs in the tea world). We have our coffee makers at home, and coffee at work, but what about in between? Or what if you’re running late? You still need that jolt, or an extra one, to keep you on your toes, and the fact that there’s a Tim Hortons on every other block means you can find your needed caffeine fix just about anywhere in this country.

6) Nostalgia.
Our parents went to Tim Hortons. They did so often, and many times they would bring their kids along. Whether it was for hockey practice in the middle of winter, or for an early summer morning’s start to a road trip, many of us grew up with Tim Hortons. The older generations have been meeting their friends there for years, or even decades. The younger generations are doing the same, and fondly remembering every family outing. In Tim Hortons’ own words, every cup tells a story.

7) Roll up the rim.
This one is my favourite. This is also the reason why I’m always the first in line when Roll Up the Rim contest comes out. It’s an ingenious marketing campaign. Who doesn’t want to win a brand new Toyota Corolla or a $100 Tim card? Best of all, it’s free to enter with every cup of coffee purchased. Odds of winning the basic prize, a cup of coffee or donut, is 1 in 6. You just can’t beat that!


ref: 7 Reasons Why Canadians Love Tim Hortons So Much... - Kanadian Eh

[DukeAllen]

When I was in Canada I never even saw a TH. I finally got to try it on a trip to Ohio. It was good (way better than DD) but local donut shops are still better.

[Mike Mercury]

I can relate to #2 "It's Not a Starbucks"

Waaaaay toooo many make ridiculously long coffee orders at Starbucks; almost as if they enjoy hearing themselves sound like a (what they perceive to be) a cool/hip person...

"Grande extra hot, soy, caramel macchiato, no foam, stirred, with whip, extra caramel, at 200 degrees. And then an asiago cheese bagel... the middle one right there, double toasted, scrape off the sesamee seeds, put cream cheese spread on one half, and an extra cream cheese on the side; cut in quarters."

[OldSarge]

Try Hamilton, Ontario, you will find one on almost every second or third block. First ever is on Ottawa St., still there with new museum.

[Kerrmudgeon]

Within a 5 mile circle of my house there are at least 10 tim hortons! Every corner, and some gas stations have kiosks in them as well.
I get a kick out of McDonalds giving away their coffee at Tim's "roll up the rim" time. Free coffee for a couple of days.

And remember it's rrrrroll up the rrrrrim! har!

WIN a COROLLA

[MikeB]

Merry Christmas, ya big schmo.....

[Bill]

Best of all, it’s free to enter with every cup of coffee purchased.

Uh, if I have to purchase a cup of coffee, then it really isn't free to enter.

[Mike Mercury]

more Starbucks insanity; actual orders baristas claim that they have taken:

Grande coffee in a venti cup with 2 pumps hazelnut, 2 pumps vanilla, 2 pumps caramel, 2 equals and 4 sweet and lows filled to the top with cream, with extra cream on the side, double cupped with no sleeve, a stir stick, and stopper put in the top.

iced veni, 2 regular shots, one decaff.. 3 pumps white mocha, 4 pumps gingerbread, half soy, half nonfat, 2 splenda, 3 equals, easy ice, with caramel and chocolate drizzle on top, white mocha.

grande, non fat, no foam, double cupped, half decaf, half shot vanilla, sugar free vanilla latte

And then; there's the dizzy girl - who after waiting in a long line at Starbucks - waits to take her first look at the menuboard after finally reaching the front of the line.

I mean, these "I only feel cool & trendy when ordering at Starbucks" types remind me of the doofs who walked the Apple stores in the 1990's... holding their Newton higher than needed. Oh, it wasn't because the store lighting was poor... it was because they wanted everyone else in the store to know they actually owned a Newton.

[Mike Mercury]

Crazy Starbucks Customers Who Will Make You Never Want To Be A Barista

The pervy antics of the "Honey Man" in the Boston area are quite strange. One commenter at Starbucks Gossip describes his reign of terror concisely:

"Honey man orders zen tea, asks for honey packets,and then proceeds to the mens room and eventually leaves a pile of honey and DNA on the rest room floor. He has been banned from every Starbucks in the metro Boston area."
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A barista at the original Starbucks in Seattle shared on Reddit the most ridiculously irritating order he ever received:

"Well, the dumbest was a trenta (barf) iced coffee with 16 pumps of white mocha (6 in a venti usually) 6 pumps of vanilla, and then she bitched that we don't have trenta dome lids because she wants whipped cream.

"So we put whip in it anyway with a flat lid. But she freaks out that I have to charge her for all of the modifiers when it's just a trenta coffee refill that would be $.55 and tells me shes trying to lose weight. I'm thinking "BITCH YOU ON THE WRONG TRAIN", but I had to deal with her respectfully."
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"Early one morning one of our customers came in a bit drunk and went into the bathroom. After he left we checked it to find he had pooped in the sink."

"The manager told us to lable the sink and toilet so customers could tell the difference"
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College English professor and Columbia Ph.D Lynne Rosenthal refused to use Starbucks terms to order her bagel. When she was asked, "butter or cheese?" she said she just wanted a multigrain bagel, and refused say "without butter or cheese," according to the New York Post.

Why? She said that "linguistically, it's stupid." Then, she got really mad and started yelling. The barista refused to give her the bagel without her saying "without butter or cheese." Rosenthal refused to give in and just kept arguing. Eventually, the manager called the police and they escorted her out of the store.
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A young Starbucks barista gave a homeless man a cup of hot water for free, but when he went to the condiment bar, she told him he couldn't use it because he wasn't a paying customer.

So, the man flung the hot water in her face. She was taken to the hospital and treated for second-degree burns to her face and chest, according to UT San Diego.
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"There's a crazy lady at my local Starbucks who comes in and just takes the milk and drinks it all straight from the thermos.

"I don't add milk to my coffee when I'm there."
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"Thursday morning, I was standing at Starbucks awaiting my grande nonfat no-whip mocha when a stylishly coiffed 30-something woman with coffee stains all over her summer khakis stormed into the middle of the store, threw up her hands and staccato screeched at the baristas, How ... about ... making sure ... the lid is on?!

"She then stomped outside, steered her car onto the front sidewalk, jumped out with the remaining coffee and hurled the entire cup at the Starbucks front door. And then she was gone."
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There's the Miss “I’ll have a skinny mocha with soy milk , extra whip cream please!”

Do you realize that the calories you eliminated by choosing sugar free syrup and soy milk are added back at least four fold with your fluffy topping? I mean seriously, you could have the exquisite cheesecake brownie for the calories in the whip cream that’s just going to melt into your drink.

[Montehall]

Huh.

I have yet to enjoy a cup of Tim Hortons coffee. I gave it a fair shake, but every time it was very bitter and very sweet... a mocha tasted like hot chocolate milk.

[mike100]

I should point out that you can exchange USD at any Tim Hortons and they will give you Canadian money back way cheaper than a bank or the kiosk at the airport. They usually don't allow Canadian bills over $20, but they will take US Benjamens all day long with the smallest purchase and the exchange rate is reasonable.

my story was once I had a Canadian $50 and they wouldn't accept it, but I had a US $100 and they took it. I guess their large bill policy is just for the local money??