Will Tim Hortons' upscale restaurant plans hurt its brand?
Scenario A: You wake up Sunday morning and, as you usually do, head down to the local Tims to grab a coffee. You order a mug, snatch a newspaper and plop down next to Herb, Betty, Jim and the rest of the gang. You talk about nothing in particular, though you wouldn’t have it any other way.
Scenario B: That same Sunday, you get dressed and hop in the car. On the way to your favourite Tims is – huh? – another Tims, a new Tims. Inside this restaurant aren’t the familiar booths and tables, nor that counter top with the cafeteria-style grooves that run down from the cash to the sandwich pick-up area. The food looks the same, but you peer inside to see patrons sipping from mugs you don’t recognize, and now Herb, Betty and Jim are Chip, Kent and Joan, a trio of stockbrokers on their way to spin class.
Which setting do you choose?
Okay, scenario B is a little dramatized, but such is the worry over the latest Tim Hortons announcement that is sure to have Canada split in opinion.
By now you’ve heard the news our iconic coffee shop has made plans to refurbish, refinish and redesign as many as 900 of its locations as part of a new image Tims seems to be chasing.
Indeed, in an apparent bid to Starbucks-isize itself, the Oakville-based chain will spend up to $200 million this year to include what the restaurant calls “enhanced finishes, fixtures and seating areas” in some of its franchises. Up to 60 Canadian locations will also be converted to include a Cold Stone Creamery counter, the U.S. ice cream chain Tims has plans to soon integrate with.
Now, it takes money to make money, that we agree on. But part of this announcement seems a little counter-productive, doesn’t it? Tims already has a rabid, loyal fan base, and chances are you don’t know anyone who’s against Tim Hortons because of the aesthetics of its restaurants.
Why, then, fork over a few hundred million to jazz up business when business – by many accounts – needs little jazzing up?
No rational Tims customer will turn up its nose to nicer restaurant digs, but they may to the ambience that accompanies them. Look, what are the three things we know about the Second Cups and Williams’ of the world? They’re upscale, expensive and replete with the ability to alienate a huge percentage of Canadians. It’s nothing against those coffee shops, it’s just there’s a certain comfort level with Tims and its restaurants that may be best left untouched. Why mess with a good thing?
As Star reader CanadianBiker comments on the news Tim Hortons will remodel: “As long as they don’t become another Starbucks. The last thing we need is another pretentious over-priced ridiculous hangout serving … Toronto’s pseudo-intellectual hipsters.”
A crude analysis? You bet. But if these fears are out there for any Tims loyalist, why make the move in the first place? Why risk driving away your bread-and-butter consumer base to attract a smaller, less-faithful group of customers who can’t be trusted for lasting business? And what if these new remodelling trends – and we don’t see how they won’t – lead to a price jack on menu items down the road? What then?
If this is the coffee shop's retaliation for McDonald's' increasing efforts to carve into its market share, so be it. But when everything's said and done, the best change for Tim Hortons might be to make none at all.
By Jason Buckland, MSN Money
Posted by: Laraine Isabella | Mar 9, 2022 8:02:28 AM
I don't know why they don't leave a good thing alone........it is very homey and inexpensive and thats what attracts people to it......look what has happened to Starbucks, Timothys, etc.
Posted by: Laura | Mar 9, 2022 8:14:03 AM
In my opinion, I think that if Tim Hortons wants to renovate their stores the decision should be left up to the owner of each franchise and nobody else.
Posted by: Sherry | Mar 9, 2022 8:26:15 AM
Whatever happened to that saying..."if its not broke, don't fix it" There is nothing wrong with the way Timmies is now. It's comfortable, affordable and consumer-friendly.
Posted by: Barry mckenzie | Mar 9, 2022 9:00:34 AM
well if it changes i hope the service is better,the coffee is great but from 1 to 10 i give it a 1.like another person,s comment if it is not Broke don,t try and Fix it.Tim Hortin,s is great the way it is
Barry s mckenzie
Kingston ontario
Posted by: Gordan | Mar 9, 2022 9:04:55 AM
Leave Timmies the way it is,nothing wrong with it. If people dont complain dont touch it.
Posted by: Susan | Mar 9, 2022 9:20:26 AM
Well, Herb and Jim and Betty and the gang are increasing in numbers as the baby-boomers retire in droves. Shouldn't Timmies be thinking along the lines of giving us retirees a nice place to continue getting together? I, for one don't want to be looking at people in business suits, cell phones and computers while I'm sipping my coffee.
Posted by: Emile | Mar 9, 2022 9:26:55 AM
Having just returned from a vacation south of the border, I was rarely able to find a cup of coffee that was worthwhile having. So, maybe instead of spending good money changing what we have in Canada, Tim Horton's should be looking to expand to the U.S. as there are currently only a few in the northern states. Baby boomers are traveling more and more each year.
Posted by: Shawn | Mar 9, 2022 9:30:29 AM
Maybe they should invest some of that money in getting current with other retailers/resturants and install debt machines in stores in the Maritimes instead of just accepting Mastercard.
Posted by: Dorcas | Mar 9, 2022 9:32:37 AM
Nothing we post up here is gonna alter what Timmies' gonna face. They should atleast consider leaving a portion the way it is as a honor to the setting that made Timmies' famous.. they can do what ever they want to the other half. This is crazy.. ever since Timmies' crossed the border its been losing its heritage and forgetting its roots.
Posted by: marlene bell | Mar 9, 2022 9:46:55 AM
leave it alone it's the most talked about place in my city, why change and then have to alter
prices, we love timmies as is.
Posted by: tammy | Mar 9, 2022 10:10:14 AM
leave well enough alone! keep Tim's real. we don't need any more pretentious coffee places. Tim's is comfortable and homey; a reflection of Canadians and our values.
Posted by: Brenda | Mar 9, 2022 10:17:50 AM
Too bad the company wouldn't just save themselves the hassle and pay their employees a higher wage instead. Maybe then, they would be more inclined to remain in their jobs, thus cutting down on the high turnover of employees. It would also make it easier for them to WANT to come to work and face that demanding, almost ignorant public everyday. Geeze, Tim Hortons may even want to hire on more people to keep up with the pace. Now there's a concept.
And by the way? I think the drive-thru lane should only be for people who want coffee and nothing else. Either that or build two drive-thrus. One for food and one for just coffee.
Just my opinions. Thanks for reading.
Posted by: Ray | Mar 9, 2022 10:32:12 AM
Change it to this; Tim Horton$. That's it.
Posted by: Bill C. | Mar 9, 2022 10:42:19 AM
Wake up before Starbucks figures it out!!! What's really wrong at Starbuck's is also wrong at Tim's!!! You BOTH need a "Dedicated" Coffee ONLY line , "Inside" your stores!! I quit Starbucks 10 years ago, as they added FOOD items and Fancy Coffee's and the Lines went on for ever!! Watch John Pinette's comedy on Youtube, where, he says he stops at Dunkin DoNuts, gets a coffee, then stands in line at Starbucks!!! He says people turn and say, 'Where did yah get the Coffee??? It's hiarious, AND true!!! I can't believe that neither of you have figured this out yet!!! Starbucks can stop their SLIDE, and Tim's will increase same store sales tremendously!!! people that want a SIMPLE COFFEE, don't want to wait FOREVER in a FOOD Line UP!!! Think about it!!! Send my Cheque for the Consultation!!! It's called step back and THINK!!!! Dah!!! Not Brain Surgery here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: Nikolai W | Mar 9, 2022 10:47:53 AM
Why mess with the good thing? They are already making tons of money, and they are really popular, so who came up with the idea to do this? It probably started happening with someone who bought a lot of Tim Horton's stock on the TSE.
Posted by: Antonio D | Mar 9, 2022 10:49:37 AM
Leave it alone I say. It's great to get a cup of coffee from what looks like a coffee shop * Never do I venture into any of the others, but perhaps Timmy's smeels a different brew than we do in the horizon **
Posted by: Caitlin | Mar 9, 2022 10:49:49 AM
I've been away from Canada and Tim Hortons for close to a year now, and to hear of this is simply unacceptable. I've been yearning for the sweet taste of an ice-cap, or the warm flavor of a double-double for so long now, I can hardly remember what it tastes like. While some stores could use a touch up to bring it up to date with the rest, I can't see - and certainly do not hope for - the owners building it into another Starbucks. We already have that, let us keep the simplicity of our small-town coffee shops!
Posted by: Sean O | Mar 9, 2022 11:02:06 AM
I think settings like Starbucks brings in Grad students and office workers and Chapters book store patrons - they were never very good at dealing with 'rush' traffic from the ranks of workers or commuters... at airports there is always this super long line, but Tim offers pretty effcient service especially those traveling through at rush hours and during the non rush hours, the retired forces seem to find Tim's as a common room, sort of like school cafeterias. And what about kids, if they can't do 360's on a swivel chair while eating their share of tim bits - they won't go, and so now you lose, Mom and Dad and the kids!
Posted by: phyllis myatte | Mar 9, 2022 11:19:24 AM
leave tim's alone I have been in Flordia for three months all i dream about is going home for a cup of timies .they have no real coffee shops down here starbucks is not my idea of a coffee place you can not even drink the coffee little lone afford it why do they always want to change a good thing .please leave it alone .I love going in with friends to a simple but clean and friendly place or going though the drive though But at least getting a good cup of coffee .
Posted by: Jim "Timmy's Lover" | Mar 9, 2022 11:27:45 AM
Please don't Americanize Timmy's leave it the way it is...I Come from a small town in Northern Ontario. The Timmy's is usually filled with Mill Workers, Hunters and Fisherman..You turn it into a Starbucks type Coffee shop and YOU WILL Lose Business...