With new grilled Paninis, Tim Hortons takes aim at the Big Mac
In 2007, you wouldn’t quite say Tim Hortons looked up to McDonald’s, but in many ways it envied the burger joint.
Though Tim’s cut its teeth as the destination for quick-serve breakfast in Canada, offering coffee and donuts since it first opened its doors in 1964, McDonald’s and the Egg McMuffin still held the top spot in the country’s fast food breakfast landscape.
But then, in came the breakfast sandwich, and one year later Tim’s was the king of morning fast food, a position its held ever since.
Though what about lunch? Could a menu overhaul, included new grilled Panini sandwiches coming soon, really help Canada’s coffee chain take down mighty McDonald’s in the nation’s fast food lunch market?
Long as the odds may be, Tim’s is trying.
*Bing: Fast food nutritional info
Less than eight months after it introduced its beef lasagna casserole, Tim Hortons is testing out a new line of grilled Panini sandwiches at select locations in Saskatoon and Toronto.
The sandwiches – a turkey chipotle, a Tuscan chicken, a smoked ham and cheese and a bacon, tomato and cheese, all $5.29 each – will be rolled out across Ontario by the end of the August. Canada-wide, they should debut by October.
The message is clear for the always-evolving Tim Hortons. It’s gunning for McDonald’s, which despite shifts in health perspectives across Canada, still rides its Big Macs and Chicken McNuggets to the no. 1 spot in fast food lunch.
“People are looking for an alternative to a fried product,” Tim Hortons interim CEO and president Paul House told the Star. “The (consumer’s) … appetites are changing. We need to move our menu with them.”
Certainly, lunch is the bread-and-butter of the fast food biz, making up 33 per cent of total fast food sales in the country.
But Tims is hoping it can replicate its breakfast success later in the day. The infrastructure is in place – there are more than twice as many Tim Hortons locations in Canada than there are McDonald’s – but the battle will be uphill. Paninis will no doubt be delicious, but burgers and fries are as entrenched in fast food as they come.
In the future, will you opt for grilled Paninis instead of burger chains for lunch?
By Jason Buckland, MSN Money
Posted by: Mickey | Jul 17, 2021 11:25:16 AM
I got an egg McMuffin at McD's about a month ago and the egg was runny. Totally turned my stomach and I won't be getting one again.
My problem with Tim's for lunch is the fact that you can't get fountain pop. I love my large Diet Coke from McD's.
Posted by: Mr. Tims | Jul 17, 2021 11:29:13 AM
Subway would come before both in any aspect. Price, quality, and just damn good sandwiches. As for everyone else's complaints about Tims, yes 90% of what they bring in is partially cooked and frozen and recooked in an oven. The panini is made on panini bread, with the ingredients added and then pressed in a panini grill. As for those customers that only complain because every time they order wrong... we make it wrong... means we DO try to make it right with a smile and whatever else it takes to make a customer happy. Now, maybe its just the location you're going to, but at my Tims, we go above and beyond to ensure our customers are happy when they drive away. Even if their order had to be remade. I, as a Tim Hortons employ and a customer know what I want, and how I'd like to be treated, so I strive to give my customers the same. So, if your regular Tims sucks with service... go else where. There's typically 3+ Tims locations in a city.
And no, I wouldn't pay that much for a sandwich either... their prices are anything but reasonable.
Posted by: terry | Jul 17, 2021 2:26:17 PM
zazzoo...we will all be over for breakfast this sunday !!!
Posted by: Dh | Jul 17, 2021 2:31:41 PM
I am shocked by canada's food culture. Everything is fast food and not healthy. you have no canadian food - just junk stuffs
Posted by: timmies groupie | Jul 17, 2021 2:43:30 PM
I agree with timmies fan. There is too much american putting canadians out of work and they have been trying to put Timm Hortons out of business by flooding the canadian market. Tim Hortons supports alor things hockey camp for kids and local communities we need to support canadians.
Posted by: arleenak | Jul 17, 2021 3:11:07 PM
I have to agree with you 'tims fan'. NO macd's for me either!!!!
I did at one time like their fries...but not anymore!!
Posted by: arleenak | Jul 17, 2021 3:12:48 PM
I LOVE LOVE my double double....and bagel with lite cream cheese ( :
Posted by: Flutterby1f | Jul 17, 2021 3:52:19 PM
I have to agree with hungry n tired -- there are WAY too many employees at Tim's that don't care and I'm always checking my order to see if it's right. It's a standing joke that if you got your order right they must not be feeling well. Pathetic.
Posted by: Christine | Jul 17, 2021 4:55:15 PM
OMG....I dread the thought of waiting even longer for my coffee now that there are more things to choose from on Timmy's menu!! I wish those people would take into consideration the ones who need to get through the drive thru quickly, and go inside if they want to order food! If only Timmy's had a rule that only drinks and donuts were available at the window,they would be perfect!!
Posted by: Aaron | Jul 17, 2021 5:41:34 PM
So Canada is now catching up to the US fat wars. Fantastic.
Tim Hortons can't make good food OR coffee... I will not be trying this.
Posted by: Robert Mannooch | Jul 17, 2021 8:52:36 PM
Greart idea !But when will Tim Hortons understand that the service at most of their stores is the worst .At Mcdonalds the service may not be as good ,but your order is at least right.A happy customer is a returning one !
Posted by: Brian Bird | Jul 17, 2021 9:31:18 PM
As a Canadian, through and through, I am glad to see Timmy fighting back. McDonalds has tried to impact in the coffee market, so why shouldn't there be some reciprocation. This so-called entrepreneurial system is supposed to be based on healthy competition. Go Timmy, go. An aside is that McDonalds and Walmart are both part of the U.S. dominate the world system that makes me violently ill. The results are obese, diabetic prone children whose parents are stuck in the welfare system and forced to buy cheap food lacking in nutrition and buy clothes made in third world countries which employ child labour to keep prices down.
Posted by: pennyp | Jul 17, 2021 11:31:20 PM
I am looking forward to trying the new panini but agree with John that Tims time, energy and money would be better spent making other improvements other than the menu. I have worked at Tims for about a year and my manager is great which is rare, so our situation is better than a lot of locations. Still, the menu exceptionally is complicated, equipment poorly laid out, and we are often short-staffed with one or two people running a busy drive-thru line. All this for minimum wage. There's a big gap here. As a customer, I'd sooner have less hype, a more streamlined menu and more staff and decent management. The result would be better customer service.
Posted by: Hornet 118 | Jul 18, 2021 2:07:38 AM
I do think Timmies is overpriced, but i love their coffee. I don't go to McD's for anything and Subway occassionally. I'm a cook, so i make my own breakfast sandwiches, better and healthier than any fastfood restaurant could produce. I think Tim's should stick with what they know best, coffee and doughnuts, although personally i don't eat them. Did I mention i love their coffee? BUT I DO!!!
Posted by: Mr.Negative | Jul 18, 2021 7:30:49 PM
Suprisingly Mcdonalds is one of the cleanest restaurants going on average. As for supporting locally - you should look into facts before putting Mcd's down. They are the largest purchaser of beef and produce in Canada. Not to mention the other ingredients they sell.
Tims is a good coffee chain - they are going to end up getting in trouble trying to compete in the fast food industry. They should stick to donuts and beverages. The wait times for coffee will begin to take too long. Not to mention there restaurants are not built to "cook" food. Anyhow, sometimes it is better to stick with what you are good at. Mcdonalds Burgers and snacks - Tims - Coffee.
Posted by: maillot de foot pas cher | Jul 20, 2021 4:39:40 AM
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