Tim Hortons

[theman23]

Aren't Coffee Culture and Symposium both from London?

[Djeffery]

Originally Posted by theman23

Aren't Coffee Culture and Symposium both from London?

I don't think there is a Symposium in London. Coffee Culture is part of the Chuck's Roadhouse, Union Burger, Crabby Joes group which I think got its start in London decades ago but I don't think is a London company anymore.

[MolsonExport]

There was a Symposium on Richmond Row for a long time, but it shuttered during the pandemic (or just before it).

Union Burger shut down as far as I know, at least here in London. There used to be a location in Hyde Park that I would visit maybe once a month. Good burgers, but pricey.

[Djeffery]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

There was a Symposium on Richmond Row for a long time, but it shuttered during the pandemic (or just before it).

Union Burger shut down as far as I know, at least here in London.

Yeah, the one in Woodstock is a Chucks now. Not sure if they have any around anymore, just saw their logo on the Obsidian page, so I mentioned them.

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by jonny24

I'm not one for fast-food breakfast, and I can skip coffee when it's not free at the office, but I DO love morning A+W for something else.

They will cook you a burger literally any time of day. None of this "we're on the breakfast menu till 11:00, no burger for you bullshit". 6:30 am and hungover/still drunk? You can get an A+W burger.


Edit: Have never had a good Burger King experience. At this point, I try it once a decade and go "yup, this is why I don't come here".

Yes, I also love that you can get lunch/supper items at any time including in the early morning. I sometimes will order a burger or chicken sandwich along with bacon and eggs. I wish they would have their plated breakfasts available all day. You can get their breakfast sandwiches and hash browns at any time. The coupons deals for breakfast are really good and so much tastier than Tims.

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

There was a Symposium on Richmond Row for a long time, but it shuttered during the pandemic (or just before it).

Union Burger shut down as far as I know, at least here in London. There used to be a location in Hyde Park that I would visit maybe once a month. Good burgers, but pricey.

The Symposium on Richmond Row was the very first location. I remember it back in the 1990s and I think I went there once with friends.

I've seen a few Symposium locations here and there when travelling in Southern Ontario. I think the last one I saw was in Barrie. I noticed that the Costco website has their gift cards for sale, $79.99 for a $100.00 gift card.

[Loco101]

Why can't Tims make a half-decent lunch sandwich? Anything they had that was somewhat good always got dropped from the menu.

[MolsonExport]

Originally Posted by Loco101

Why can't Tims make a half-decent lunch sandwich? Anything they had that was somewhat good always got dropped from the menu.

Tim's has got to make room for whatever jello they are currently throwing against wall, such as Tim's Ryan Reynolds' (yes, this is what it was called with Tim's owning Ryan Reynolds' who owned the breakfast box, I surmised) Breakfast Box, or some kind of overpriced flaky pastry that tastes like expired cooking oil, or flatfooted pizza, or lasagna, or prairie oysters, or lobster bisque, or 2.99 Dream donuts (just bring back some of the regular donuts, will ya??), or frappamachiattlickalottopus, or Peach-Darianfruit quenchers, or....).

I miss the old tims that had 48 types of donuts, coffee, pie, purple koolaid, friendly service, and that's it.

[jonny24]

Originally Posted by Wigs

Wow I had no idea. That's above and beyond other chains

Actually they seem to be realizing that it's a selling point for them. I noticed last night that the one outside Brantford has an orange neon sign that says:

"Burgers + Breakfast 24hrs"

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

Tim's has got to make room for whatever jello they are currently throwing against wall, such as Tim's Ryan Reynolds' (yes, this is what it was called with Tim's owning Ryan Reynolds' who owned the breakfast box, I surmised) Breakfast Box, or some kind of overpriced flaky pastry that tastes like expired cooking oil, or flatfooted pizza, or lasagna, or prairie oysters, or lobster bisque, or 2.99 Dream donuts (just bring back some of the regular donuts, will ya??), or frappamachiattlickalottopus, or Peach-Darianfruit quenchers, or....).

I miss the old tims that had 48 types of donuts, coffee, pie, purple koolaid, friendly service, and that's it.

You are spot on about Tims. I've found that the company has been interesting in serving food items that take as little amount of labour as possible. Nevermind about pleasing customers with good tasting things, they'll just have lots of locations and be the only quick choice in smaller communities. I can't wait for the day that they get some real competition.

[someone123]

Tim Hortons is a corporation controlled by a private equity firm that leverages global supply chains, food science, wage suppression through government lobbying, and nostalgia in order to maximize profit. They're mostly not going to be very good.

[SpongeG]

like their attempt at Pizza? wth just stick to the basics

[casper]

Originally Posted by Loco101

You are spot on about Tims. I've found that the company has been interesting in serving food items that take as little amount of labour as possible. Nevermind about pleasing customers with good tasting things, they'll just have lots of locations and be the only quick choice in smaller communities. I can't wait for the day that they get some real competition.

I don't remember exactly when, perhaps around the 90s they switched to their "Always Fresh" business model.

Before "Always Fresh" a baker would come in early in the morning and put flour and other ingredients in a mixer and actually bake donuts and buns.

With "Always Fresh" the product is made on an assembly line in a factory in Ontario, partially baked and flash frozen. Then in store the slip these partially baked goods into a fancy oven that is half microwave half convention oven. "Always Fresh" means they microwave batches during the day so the bake goods are not left over from the morning.

While the marking people at Tim's like the term "Always Fresh" I think a better term would be "Never Fresh". But that is just me.

Most baked goods in grocery stores are the same way. They are partially baked in a factor and then finish baked in the grocery store.

They also try to design a menu that is easy to train people and obtain a consistant product every time.

[Djeffery]

Originally Posted by casper

I don't remember exactly when, perhaps around the 90s they switched to their "Always Fresh" business model.

Before "Always Fresh" a baker would come in early in the morning and put flour and other ingredients in a mixer and actually bake donuts and buns.

With "Always Fresh" the product is made on an assembly line in a factory in Ontario, partially baked and flash frozen. Then in store the slip these partially baked goods into a fancy oven that is half microwave half convention oven. "Always Fresh" means they microwave batches during the day so the bake goods are not left over from the morning.

While the marking people at Tim's like the term "Always Fresh" I think a better term would be "Never Fresh". But that is just me.

Most baked goods in grocery stores are the same way. They are partially baked in a factor and then finish baked in the grocery store.

They also try to design a menu that is easy to train people and obtain a consistant product every time.

Back in high school in the mid-80's, I worked the overnight shift in a Hasty Market store in London (Jalna and Bradley for those local, it was probably 50% bigger than it is today). We had a deli and bakery in the store and we were heavily into the pre-packaged frozen factory stuff even then. We had a baker that came in at 6am, and my job at 4am was to turn on the proofer and the oven and start unpacking the frozen kaiser rolls, and various types of buns and rolls of dough. I would then start sticking trays of the things into the proofer for however long so they would get thawed and start to rise and the baker would arrive and take over. I will say that for the stuff having been prepared in a factory, it was pretty damn good when it was finished. A lot better than what the bread company would bring, that's for sure, but albeit a fair bit more expensive. I always made sure I snagged some dinner rolls or hamburger buns the next night from the day old stash.

Which brings up another old Tim Hortons memory, day old donuts. Used to love going there or Country Style first thing and grabbing the dollar bags of a dozen day old donuts. I don't think they even carry enough anymore to have any left over at the end of the day. I think now whatever they prepare on the overnight shift is what they have for the day, not like back then when it was a constant replenishment. They might still do up new sandwich buns or bagels through the day if needed, but I haven't been inside one in so long, I don't even know if they all even the facilities anymore, or do they get that stuff from one store that supplies a group of others?

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by casper

With "Always Fresh" the product is made on an assembly line in a factory in Ontario, partially baked and flash frozen. Then in store the slip these partially baked goods into a fancy oven that is half microwave half convention oven. "Always Fresh" means they microwave batches during the day so the bake goods are not left over from the morning.

Par-baking is a real thing that can produce a good end product. It's everything else that TH does that makes it low grade crap.

[SteelTown]

Sadly, the infamous Great Lake is gone; Lake Timmicaca, that's been around for a good decade, is gone.


https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/lake-timmicaca-1.7482667


https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1452375136910424&set=a.470403128440968


https://startfamousteeshop.com/products/timmicaca-tee

[James Bond Agent 007]

[Wigs]

Originally Posted by SteelTown

Sadly, the infamous Great Lake is gone; Lake Timmicaca, that's been around for a good decade, is gone.


https://startfamousteeshop.com/products/timmicaca-tee

This is the funniest t-shirt I've seen in a while

[jonny24]

Lol! that's hilarious.

It's also where I picked up my wife for our first date. She worked nearby and it was an easy landmark.

Apparently when I asked if she was hungry when she got in, she though I meant Timmies, and not "would you like to go to dinner first before the movie?".

[MolsonExport]

That's a large volume of spilled double-double.