Canadian Retail Thread

[Denscity]

Originally Posted by casper

There are some Leafs fans in BC. They are a rare, patient and forgiving bunch. Some would also call them dreamers. They try to keep a low profile around all these Canucks fans. But a very small minority.

A lot of the Leafs and Jay's fans in BC are from Ontario.
There of thousands of them who moved from Ontario and kept their Toronto jerseys and fandom.

[casper]

Originally Posted by Denscity

A lot of the Leafs and Jay's fans in BC are from Ontario.
There of thousands of them who moved from Ontario and kept their Toronto jerseys and fandom.

Yes, we should show compaction to them. Accept they will forever be disappointed. It may not be rational, but these decisions are sometimes routed in deep historical tradition.

This is the same thing as Maxwell House or Folgers. There are certain cities in the US that historically lean one way or the other. It is a deep rooted attachment in people tend to be loyal to the dominate one in the household they grew up if after moving way. Even 20 years later the dominate brand in a someone kitchen was the dominate brand from where they came from.

As an aside that has now all changed with the advent of good quality coffee being available in the market.

[WhipperSnapper]

It would likely be different if the Canucks had won the cup since its inception in 1970. Making the finals every 10 years (unlike the Leafs) just isn't the same as winning

[casper]

Originally Posted by WhipperSnapper

It would likely be different if the Canucks had won the cup since its inception in 1970. Making the finals every 10 years (unlike the Leafs) just isn't the same as winning

True.

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by manny_santos

Something I've noticed is how much Harvey's advertises on TV in BC, including on Sportsnet Pacific or CBC. Why are they wasting their money advertising in a province that doesn't have a single location? It's not like they can't split the feed, Sportsnet Pacific airs BC-specific ads all the time, and CBC has regional stations that also air local ads. (I work in advertising, and putting ads in a geographic market that isn't relevant is a big no-no. I do wonder if anyone at Harvey's realizes their commercials air in BC.)

This would be like White Spot advertising in Texas. Neither Harvey's or White Spot are national chains.

This might be why you're seeing so much Harvey's advertising in BC:

Harvey’s QSR Restaurant Chain Looks to Add 200 Locations in Canada in National Rollout
By Mario Toneguzzi
April 25, 2022

Since 1959, Harvey’s has been a staple of the Canadian quick service restaurant industry and even through the pandemic the iconic national brand has continued to grow its footprint across the country.

David Colebrook, President of Harvey’s, said the food establishment opened about 10 new locations in the past two years and has about 300 now in Canada with plans to grow to about 500 within the next few years.

“We’ve had great success in the last two years. Obviously as things were locked down we were still allowed to do takeout and drive-thru, primarily. So Harvey’s has fared very well and has been one of the fastest growing QSR burger chains in Canada over the last two years,” said Colebrook...

....Colebrook said the company’s target is to grow significantly in Canada from coast to coast.

The brand is not represented in BC but plans are to eventually grow into that market as well....

https://retail-insider.com/retail-in...ional-rollout/

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by manny_santos

The Blue Jays I can understand, as they're Canada's only MLB team and they have a fan base across Canada, but the Leafs are definitely a bizarre one for regularly airing nationally.

The Leafs and Habs had huge fanbases all across the country during the Original Six NHL era. Obviously much of this phenomenon has died out in the past 5 decades as the NHL has added more teams in Canada. But there are still remnants of that fan base that exist across Canada, passed down in families from generation to generation.

Plus as has been said, Torontonians and Ontarians move around the country and they make up the most populated city and province so there are simply more of them.

Many of them bring their allegiances with them when they relocate.

[Denscity]

Originally Posted by Acajack

The Leafs and Habs had huge fanbases all across the country during the Original Six NHL era. Obviously much of this phenomenon has died out in the past 5 decades as the NHL has added more teams in Canada. But there are still remnants of that fan base that exist across Canada, passed down in families from generation to generation.

Plus as has been said, Torontonians and Ontarians move around the country and they make up the most populated city and province so there are simply more of them.

Many of them bring their allegiances with them when they relocate.

Watching TV in this country you just can't get away from them.

[WhipperSnapper]

I have a buddy or two that were die hard fans of the home team only to move to a rival city and end up switching allegiance in less than a year. I guess there are enough Leaf/ Canadien fans around Canada that you wouldn't stand out as an outlier. What's the fun in being an outlier sports fan?

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Denscity

Watching TV in this country you just can't get away from them.

Well you can here in Quebec.

Though the Habs-mania in the media here (not that I am complaining) makes TSN, Sportsnet, etc. look perfectly balanced in their coverage of NHL teams across Canada.

[manny_santos]

Originally Posted by whatnext

This might be why you're seeing so much Harvey's advertising in BC:

Harvey’s QSR Restaurant Chain Looks to Add 200 Locations in Canada in National Rollout
By Mario Toneguzzi
April 25, 2022

Since 1959, Harvey’s has been a staple of the Canadian quick service restaurant industry and even through the pandemic the iconic national brand has continued to grow its footprint across the country.

David Colebrook, President of Harvey’s, said the food establishment opened about 10 new locations in the past two years and has about 300 now in Canada with plans to grow to about 500 within the next few years.

“We’ve had great success in the last two years. Obviously as things were locked down we were still allowed to do takeout and drive-thru, primarily. So Harvey’s has fared very well and has been one of the fastest growing QSR burger chains in Canada over the last two years,” said Colebrook...

....Colebrook said the company’s target is to grow significantly in Canada from coast to coast.

The brand is not represented in BC but plans are to eventually grow into that market as well....

https://retail-insider.com/retail-in...ional-rollout/

They're really going to have to drastically improve their quality if they have any hope of succeeding in BC. A&W is a lot more dominant here than in Ontario, and Triple O's/White Spot needs no introduction. If they're still relying on cold, overcooked, and dried out burgers as part of their strategy, they won't be in BC for very long.

If they can bring back the Harvey's of the 90s and 2000s, then they'll have a hope.

[WhipperSnapper]

Harvey's also rank last for the grade of beef used in the 90s and 2000s among the chains. I wouldn't know now. I kinda lost contact with her seconds after ruining Harvey's for me.

[casper]

Originally Posted by manny_santos

They're really going to have to drastically improve their quality if they have any hope of succeeding in BC. A&W is a lot more dominant here than in Ontario, and Triple O's/White Spot needs no introduction. If they're still relying on cold, overcooked, and dried out burgers as part of their strategy, they won't be in BC for very long.

If they can bring back the Harvey's of the 90s and 2000s, then they'll have a hope.

Most people in BC will go Harvey's once for the "experience" of burger toppings to order "subway" style. Then they will taste the burger and never go back.

Perhaps they should consider pop-up stores.

[le calmar]

Every Harvey’s I see has a few customers inside and/or in the drive-thru, but they’re never really that busy. Definitely the last option considered for most people, behind the other big burger chains. I just don’t understand why people would go there to get a subpar burger while there’s a lot of better options.

[Djeffery]

Originally Posted by manny_santos

The Blue Jays I can understand, as they're Canada's only MLB team and they have a fan base across Canada, but the Leafs are definitely a bizarre one for regularly airing nationally.

I don't really see the mystery. The east and west teams don't often play at the same time because of time zones. Toronto has always been the national option, ratings showed that for decades. Now there are choices on the nights that the networks are allowed to show games nationally because of the multi-channel universe. Most Canadian teams can be seen nationally on Saturday nights.

[Djeffery]

Originally Posted by le calmar

Every Harvey’s I see has a few customers inside and/or in the drive-thru, but they’re never really that busy. Definitely the last option considered for most people, behind the other big burger chains. I just don’t understand why people would go there to get a subpar burger while there’s a lot of better options.

The Harveys we go to is always busy, but that's because of the neighbourhood it's in. My daughter likes their veggie burgers, which is why we go there. I don't really like any fast food burgers and usually on the rare night we are going for fast food, it involves multiple stops, so I usually either get McDonalds or Wendys over Harveys. I used to love Harveys the most as a kid, too bad they went downhill, (or it was my memory that went downhill lol)

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by manny_santos

They're really going to have to drastically improve their quality if they have any hope of succeeding in BC. A&W is a lot more dominant here than in Ontario, and Triple O's/White Spot needs no introduction. If they're still relying on cold, overcooked, and dried out burgers as part of their strategy, they won't be in BC for very long.

If they can bring back the Harvey's of the 90s and 2000s, then they'll have a hope.

There are way more A&W locations in Ontario compared to Harvey's. You are right about Harvey's needed to improve their quality in order to succeed.

Northwestern Ontario doesn't have a single Harvey's yet a number of smaller places have A&W. (Kenora, Dryden, Marathon, White River)

In the Northeast where I live there are Harvey's in the cities (one each in Timmins, North Bay, Sault Ste. Marie and Greater Sudbury has three) and the only towns that I can think that have them are Cochrane and Temiskaming Shores. But all of the cities have more than one A&W location and some towns have them. (Kapuskasing, Espanola, Sturgeon Falls, Blind River)

And my neighbouring Abitibi region in Quebec has A&Ws in the four main places (La Sarre, Rouyn-Noranda, Amos and Val-d'Or) but there is not one Harvey's to be found.

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by WhipperSnapper

Harvey's also rank last for the grade of beef used in the 90s and 2000s among the chains. I wouldn't know now. I kinda lost contact with her seconds after ruining Harvey's for me.

From what I've been told, the same company that makes the meat for Harvey's original burgers also makes these ones:



They both taste identical. I remember the former owner at our M&M location in Timmins actually telling me that they're pretty much the same thing and made at the same facility. I can't remember which company made them at the time and I'll have to find out which one does now. I think it used to be Schneiders (now part of Maple Leaf) and I'm pretty sure they still are making them for both Harvey's and M&M. For those who don't know, many of the M&M meat products are still made by Schneiders which is part of Maple Leaf Foods.

Harvey's Angus burgers are made with 100% beef and are much better than their original burgers. The beef for them is supplied by Beretta Farms located in King City ON but they also sources from farms between BC and Quebec.

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by Djeffery

The Harveys we go to is always busy, but that's because of the neighbourhood it's in. My daughter likes their veggie burgers, which is why we go there. I don't really like any fast food burgers and usually on the rare night we are going for fast food, it involves multiple stops, so I usually either get McDonalds or Wendys over Harveys. I used to love Harveys the most as a kid, too bad they went downhill, (or it was my memory that went downhill lol)

Harvey's burger quality has actually improved from what I remember with the exception of their original burger meat which hasn't changed. Today that meat doesn't really stand a chance with the exception of those seeking a nostalgic flavour. The buns are much better and the toppings more interesting compared to what I remember 25 years ago.

Their sides are pretty bad. The fries have been changed at least 2-3 times and have gotten worse. Onion Rings are still the same. And you can still get "frings" lol. Their chicken sandwiches have improved a lot in my opinion. But overall, much improvement is needed.

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by le calmar

Every Harvey’s I see has a few customers inside and/or in the drive-thru, but they’re never really that busy. Definitely the last option considered for most people, behind the other big burger chains. I just don’t understand why people would go there to get a subpar burger while there’s a lot of better options.

They aren't set up to serve the volume that you see at McD's. But even then, I agree that they aren't normally very busy. Barely anybody eats at the Timmins location. If there is a line inside it's usually contractors / mining workers in line along with the delivery app drivers.

[Denscity]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Well you can here in Quebec.

Though the Habs-mania in the media here (not that I am complaining) makes TSN, Sportsnet, etc. look perfectly balanced in their coverage of NHL teams across Canada.

Ah I'm jealous! It's all Toronto here.
Surely having the second largest English market in the country is enough to have our own Sports channel.