Comment by ctdonath | Hacker News Reader

Comment by ctdonath | Hacker News Reader

Here's hoping this means TH goes national (if not worldwide). We need a TH in Atlanta; good coffee, donuts better than Krispy Kreme and Dunkin Donuts.

Recalls my notion of a "Franchise In A Box": in a shipping container, pack up all the necessities for installing/opening a retail store/restaurant overnight in a typical retail space, and rapid removal if needed. Good for short-use venue events such as major conventions, or for jumpstarting a business by opening a functional (albeit minimal) store in available short-lease space while a more elaborate/complete/larger implementation is being installed.

I mention this as an eager would-be customer, wishing that BK (having more interest in "lower 48" USA expansion than pre-merger TH) could now just arrange some short-term leases, rent a "Tim Hortons In A Box", and open a few test/introductory locations within a few days. I want my Tim's! Moreso, my Canadian wife wants a Tim's in Atlanta ASAP, and ya gotta realize that to Canadians, Tim Hortons is like Starbucks deified.

I don't know what's wrong with Dunkin Donuts. They still have pre-starbucks prices for a cup coffee, and their coffee is pretty good, and the donuts are donuts: delicious sugary carbs. You go in there and you spend like $3 and get enough calories and coffee to survive until the next day.

Personally I don't like all the faux-luxury, "experience", "it's a latte not a coffee" places like Starbucks. Everything is priced way higher and the service and cleanliness is pretty much on par with a McDondalds, just with fancier marketing materials.

I'm not just griping about Starbucks, urban areas in particular are loaded with these little diners and shops that spent a lot of money on the wall paint, and menu selections, but then aren't half as good and honest as the little dingy deli/liquor store next door that sells way better sandwhiches at 1/4 the price.

And the local coffee shop with the grumpy guy doesn't put ammonia laced caramel flavor in his coffee neither.

Hey if the food is genuinely good, no problems. I'm just not a fan of marketing gimmicks that somehow justify a price increase when otherwise the value isn't there and you can get better for cheaper somewhere else only they didn't use helvetica on their store signage.

I've only been to Canada a handful of times, but there is a massive quality and culture difference between TH and Dunkin. I actually enjoy going to TH and always dread walking into a Dunkin. I think if TH comes to town it'll hurt Dunkin in a serious way. All of the Dunkins near me are trashy little dumps or, ironically, semi-clean ones built into gas stations. I'd pay a higher price for better food. I can taste the dollar or so I'm saving at Dunkin and would rather just spend more for a better product.

> I'd pay a higher price for better food.

I just can't believe my eyes. Tim Horton's is where you go to get "I just need caffeine in coffee form I don't care how it tastes" in Canada. They are quite literally on most street corners, and while clean and efficient, I wouldn't say they offer anything superior to the DDs and KKs I've been to in the States.

As a Canadian but not a coffee drinker, most coffee drinkers I know love Tim Hortons and nearly refuse to drink coffee from anywhere else.

To be honest, Dunkin is borderline inedible. I really do see a very real quality difference between it and TH. To each his own I guess.

That's funny, most Canadians remember the huge quality nosedive Tim's took when they switched over to centralized factory baking and then shipping their baked goods frozen - back in the '90s all their baked goods were prepared on-site and were far fresher.

A Tim Hortons is about $2.10 a Starbucks grande is about $2.30 but it has more (50ml?) in it compared to a medium Tim's.

And if you buy with a Starbucks card and drink inside you get a free refill so it's now almost half the cost of a TH medium.

There are a lot of customers at Tim Hortons who sit inside most of the day, so complaining that Starbucks is more expensive while they pay double for less, well I guess they are as bitter as the coffee.

By the way in case anyone is curious Tim Hortons is spelled that way without the apostrophe. It was to appease the french language police in Quebec actually make that Québec, they like their apostrophes in different places I guess.

Personally I can't even drink TH coffee, it's truly horrible. You will find better coffee at an airport vending machine, it's a 1/10.

The processed food is also garbage.

Their marketing sucked in so many people that associated TH with being a "real Canadian", whatever that means ( aka bullshit), but worked extremely well.

They have tried to expand Tim Hortons to the US. There are still a couple around but it was a failure. In a large part because Tim Hortons is no better than any other fast food doughnut place.

The coffee sucks. The doughnuts are made in Toronto, partly cooked, frozen and then shipped out to the retail stores. Yummy.

I will never understand the love for Tim Hortons.

The shipping container idea is pretty interesting. Food trucks kind of do this, but I like the idea of a just-in-time franchise.

Maybe look to the micro-house movement for ideas on plumbing issues and that sort of thing.

I have a friend that feels the same way about Tim's. Maybe if I ever have a chance to try it I'd understand. My wife says my taste buds are deaf, so I may not appreciate it. I drink folgers, mainly for the caffeine. I appreciate a good cup of coffee, but not enough to spend the money for it.

I don't know what Tim Horton's is like south of the border, but I can't believe you're saying TH donuts are better than KK donuts.

TH donuts in Canada are made in a factory somewhere, frozen, and then heated to expand at the franchise. The KK I went to had a little automated assembly line, making them fresh.

I've been pushing that idea of "[Establishment] In A Box" on anyone who would listen, too. Could you imagine, in the distant future, entire small towns turning migratory?

I really wouldn't say Tim Hortons' coffe is good... I guess it is a matter of taste.

I suspects, it got its reputation of having good coffee when most coffees were burnt and undrinkable.

I guess it depends on taste. I prefer Tim Horton's coffee to Starbucks if there both black.

Agreed. Of the "cheap" coffees in Canada, I'd rather drink Country Style or McDonald's. Well, at least Tim Horton's tastes better than Coffee Time.

They tried to expand down into New England a few years ago in 2010, but closed all those shops after a short time. Could not compete with the ubiquitous Dunkin Donuts (which has also kept Starbucks to a minimal presence.)

We actually had a Tim Hortons in a container on the "boardwalk" at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. (It might have gotten replaced with a 12x40' trailer instead of a container at some point, though.)

How was it? Was it only Canadian troops attending, or did our boys convince some Yankees or Limeys to drink the great Canadian Double Double?

It was brought by the Canadian forces, but open to all. (the Germans brought some weird commercial PX; the French had a nice cafe; the US brought BK/Pizza Hut and a clone of starbucks, Green Beans Coffee). It's the only TH I've ever visited, and was pretty good. (I preferred the kebab shop, though.)

http://www.timhortons.com/us/en/corporate/tim-hortons-kandah...

> good coffee, donuts better than Krispy Kreme and Dunkin Donuts.

Maybe a few years ago. Everything at Timmy's is warmed from frozen now, and the quality is much worse than it used to be.

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