Rrroll up the rim to win!
The end of February marks the beginning of an annual Canadian tradition that helps lift us out of the winter blahs – it’s “Roll up the Rim” time at Tim Horton’s. To an outsider, this may seem a bit strange that a Coffee and Donut chain’s contest would be a national tradition, but to most Canadians and those who have experienced the phenomenon or Tim Horton’s it’s a natural experience.
Tim Horton’s has the success that large food and beverage chains around the world all aspire to. They are everywhere. In Canada there is one Tim Horton’s for about every 12,500 people (about 2,500 locations). It is often compared to Starbucks, and a number of other successful US chains. However if all of the Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts and McDonalds locations in the US operated under the same name, that corporate entity would still not have the same 1:12,500 ratio that Tim Horton’s has.
In the city I live in of about 130,000 people, there are 12 locations that I know of. Any trip across town (no matter which route) will take us past at least two and usually five. And all of them are always busy. Some have line ups at the drive through from about 6:00am to 6:00pm.
Last week the chief of staff for our armed forces gave a news conference. In this news conference he gave a list of many of the things the armed forces need from our new government. When talking about immediate priorities, he talked about the Canadian mission to Afghanistan where 2000 of our troops are taking command of the Kandahar region. One of his top priorities for the troops there was to talk to Tim Horton’s and see if they could open up a shop on the base in Kandahar.
In my opinion the success of Tim Horton’s is that it offers a great tasting cup of coffee (not watered down and not strong and bitter) for a very reasonable price and the food is also very good and reasonably priced as well. The coffee is coffee (not 50 different beans and flavours) it’s always fresh and brewed to perfection. They even make a pretty decent cup of tea with their steeped tea that is prepared by the pot.
Tim Horton’s has even added new terms to the English language (well, Canadian English eh). These include “double-double” (two cream and two sugar) and a “regular” coffee (cream and sugar). I found out the hard way that in the US, regular is a size and not the way you prepare the coffee. I ordered a “medium regular” once at a coffee shop in the US. The person just stared at me and said, “Sir, the medium size is the regular size.”
Perhaps one day we will speak the same language…
Tim Horton’s has the success that large food and beverage chains around the world all aspire to. They are everywhere. In Canada there is one Tim Horton’s for about every 12,500 people (about 2,500 locations). It is often compared to Starbucks, and a number of other successful US chains. However if all of the Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts and McDonalds locations in the US operated under the same name, that corporate entity would still not have the same 1:12,500 ratio that Tim Horton’s has.
In the city I live in of about 130,000 people, there are 12 locations that I know of. Any trip across town (no matter which route) will take us past at least two and usually five. And all of them are always busy. Some have line ups at the drive through from about 6:00am to 6:00pm.
Last week the chief of staff for our armed forces gave a news conference. In this news conference he gave a list of many of the things the armed forces need from our new government. When talking about immediate priorities, he talked about the Canadian mission to Afghanistan where 2000 of our troops are taking command of the Kandahar region. One of his top priorities for the troops there was to talk to Tim Horton’s and see if they could open up a shop on the base in Kandahar.
In my opinion the success of Tim Horton’s is that it offers a great tasting cup of coffee (not watered down and not strong and bitter) for a very reasonable price and the food is also very good and reasonably priced as well. The coffee is coffee (not 50 different beans and flavours) it’s always fresh and brewed to perfection. They even make a pretty decent cup of tea with their steeped tea that is prepared by the pot.
Tim Horton’s has even added new terms to the English language (well, Canadian English eh). These include “double-double” (two cream and two sugar) and a “regular” coffee (cream and sugar). I found out the hard way that in the US, regular is a size and not the way you prepare the coffee. I ordered a “medium regular” once at a coffee shop in the US. The person just stared at me and said, “Sir, the medium size is the regular size.”
Perhaps one day we will speak the same language…
posted by Mike at 11:05 p.m.
2 Comments:
You are still alive!! Yay!!
Love love love Tim Horton's. When my BIL, Tim, and his wife were expecting their first child, my MIL called the baby Timbit. Hee hee.
I don't drink coffee, so I can't relate, but I often wonder how it is the Canadians and Americans can have such similar cultures and share SO much, yet still be so different and speak different languages (at times).
well, with both you and Karen making special space in your blogs for Tim Horton's, it's almost enough to make me move to Canada and drink coffee. ;)
ok, visit Canada, and taste coffee. (baby steps.)
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