Tim Hortons

Disclaimer: This review is actually about THIS Tim Hortons store. Two of the reviews posted here so far, both by Americans who self-​admittedly «don’t get the Tim Horton’s thing,» are just cute musings on the franchise in general and how it measures up to Starbucks. Their reviews don’t relate any personal consumer experience at this store at all. I guess they don’t realize that there are something like 4600 Timmy’s restaurants in the county and this one can’t represent them all. Bill Z’s review is actually for the Tim Hortons located in Market Square down the street. Not this one.
This particular Timmy’s is a bit different from your average one because it is located in a vintage uptown store front. The décor inside reflects the heritage of the neighbourhood its housed in. There are large historical photographs on the brick interior walls showing what King Street looked like at various points of the twentieth century. If you and your coffee companion are stuck for conversation then these photos will definitely give both of you something to discuss.
The service here is friendly but slow. I’ve been here on several occasions and every time I approach the service counter the staff are listless and disengaged. Tonight I waited for a couple of minutes at the counter (it wasn’t busy at all) while both servers toiled away at their routine, one wiping down the machines while the other mopped the floor. They saw that I was there but still took their time before acknowledging my presence. I don’t expect to be waited on in double-​quick time but the staff should acknowledge that a customer is at least there. The machine wiper eventually put down her rag to trouble herself to take my order.
I like the atmosphere in this Timmy’s — it’s similar to a Second Cup with it’s comfortable chairs and homey interior — only the coffee is much cheaper. And like every other Tim Hortons, it’s just the basic coffee-​flavoured coffee (as Denis Leary calls it). If you’re coming in here looking for frappé mocha alpacinos with little sprinkles on top, you are so in the wrong place. I’d give it three and a half stars if Unilocal would let me.
Dear American business people and cruise ship passengers,
There is a Starbucks across the street from this Tim Hortons in the Brunswick Square mall about 8 metres away (that’s 26 ft). You don’t have to degrade yourself and your obviously delicate palettes by coming here.

Ok, so I took a trip to Canada and had to see what it was all about. Canadians often refer to Tim Hortons as the equivalent to Duncan Donuts in the North, and I think that is a fair comparison.
Any brew aficionado’s out there will be surely disappointed, but if you are a coffee drinker who appreciates mass-​produced cups of joe, then this place may be up your alley. A plus here is that because they are so popular up north, the coffee is seemingly always freshly brewed.
I didn’t have a donut but they looked to be about the same as you would expect from any chain. I can say I’ve been to one, but I probably wouldn’t go back — too corporate for my tastes.

This is a very small Tim Horton’s in a mall area adjacent to some of the restaurants in the St. John harbor area. The only reason I discovered it was I happened to see it through a window as I was walking through the adjacent St. John’s Ale House (which explains why we didn’t order dessert there after lunch — very sorry, but I must regularly satisfy my addiction to maple cream donuts). It has a small but reasonable selection of snacks and beverages, and a good deal on coffee and a donut. The mall rest rooms are conveniently located behind it, in case you had a deliciously gooey confection.

I’ve been visiting Canada for more than a decade, and to be honest, I don’t get the Tim Horton’s thing. I guess part of it is that I’d rather have a chili pepper than a donut. I’m not saying I don’t like the occasional sweet, but I wasnt sweetes to really stand out when I have them – and in my opinion, the donuts, cookies, cakes, etc. at Timmy’s just don’t.
In my effort to bridge the gap between me and my Canadian pals, I once again visited TH, this time for coffee. All I wanted was a simple, black, iced coffee. I guess I musta ordered wrong, because I got a very sweet, very creamy, somewhat coffee drink – nothing like the iced Americano I normally get at Starbucks.
I guess my research and efforts to like Tim Horton’s will continue. At this point, I still don’t get it. I’ll still seek the Hot Donuts sign you know where…