Tim Hortons Comes to New York
In the Times today, word that 13 Dunkin Donuts locations owned by the Riese Organization will be magically transformed this weekend into Tim Hortons.
What's your take on this? How will it affect NYC doughnut culture?
I haven't been to a TH yet, though I've heard good things. What's your favorite treat there?
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21 Comments:
I can't see how Tim Hortons moving into NYC could have any sort of impact. I'm sure there are way better options for coffee and dougnuts than what Tim Hortons has to offer. I know a lot of fellow Canadians are sentimentally attached to the brand, but the sad truth of it is that their doughnuts, coffee and other food offerings just aren't that great. Well the doughnuts are still pretty good, but the rest is crap. And yet their highly caffeinated but tasteless coffee is Canada's favourite. Who knows what could happen. People are an endless source of surprise.
To paraphrase Henry Mencken: No one ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American public.
SqueezeBottle at 2:43PM on 07/10/09
I am surprised NYC does not have Tim Hortons already. They are on just about every corner here in WNY, seriously. In my small town of Hamburg there are 3 with one being built now, and 2 about 10 minutes the other way. The lines at each are in the road, literally in the mornings. People actually sit in a 55mph road to get their coffee!
For a chain restaurant it is actually really nice. They are always clean and if the coffee is fresh it is great. If it's not fresh, it is terrible. Get ready to learn the phrase double double!
Their sandwiches are good for a quick bite and they are not that bad for you-nutrition info is available. I grew up on their Boston Cream donuts too!
xwafflesx at 2:43PM on 07/10/09
@SqueezeBottle Right, I'm not sure there will be much impact. I think it could be a minor trend if they play their PR cards right, but most New Yorkers aren't familiar with the chain. And regarding "the taste of the American public," ouch! But it seems to be the case most of the time!
@xwafflesx Good to hear they're clean, at least! And they're supposed to be making all food onsite, so that's a plus, even if it leads to inconsistencies among different locations.
butterface at 4:54PM on 07/10/09
Tim Horton's is overrated. The donuts have a manufactured-ness to them. They are not GREAT donuts. I mean it's hard to find a donut that you don't like but there's better.
The coffee? I don't get it. Oh and the food - bleck!
But that's just me.
mrstkach at 4:58PM on 07/10/09
Their food is definitely a lot better than the stuff Dunkin Donuts offers (egg white flatbread, ugh). In my experience, the food is always fresh and relatively healthy. Their rolls and bagels always taste freshly baked. Their hot coffee might not be the best, but the iced cappucinos are addictive!
CassieRose at 7:14PM on 07/10/09
The rolls are good, and baked on site. My boyfriend used to work over nights at one and there was an "old" baker guy who baked the whole night. I don't get the obsession with the place either but like I said, for a chain it is better than you might expect. Definitely better and less gimmicky than Dunkin Donuts. Also, if your coffee tastes old they will replace it with a fresh one for free.
xwafflesx at 8:23PM on 07/10/09
Oh and if you are from NYC you will probably hate their bagels! They are not chewy at all. More like a dense round flat bread with the center missing.
xwafflesx at 8:24PM on 07/10/09
I think a lot of people like them because the cream in the coffee is very rich- like 38% cream. I like the bagles and the sandwiches are pretty good. Im from Western NY and they are all over, a friend opened up one in Syracuse and is doing quite well.
WSLunch at 9:20PM on 07/10/09
On behalf of Canada, I apologise for Tim Horton's coffee. It does not, I repeat NOT represent the taste of the average Canadian, and I humbly beg you not to judge us on it. While it enjoys a steady following here, there are many of us who'd rather drink dirty dishwater. However, I do actually urge you to visit Tim's sometime - the Timbit is a proud piece of our heritage, I think we'd put a picture of it on our money if the Queen allowed it. Get a boxful, it's the Canadian way.
jojojo at 2:06AM on 07/11/09
@xwafflesx : oh oh oh i went to high school in hamburg!! all my friends worked at tim hortons and we would go just about everyday..... we called it timmy ho's ! :D now i live in nyc but its cool that i see someone from hamburg here :) timmy was pretty much at every corner of hamburg..
soeun_lee at 5:49AM on 07/11/09
i used to go to canada a lot with a boyfriend who had some property up there. he could never pass one by. if they come to the US i hope they'll keep the same menu and sell butter tarts. they're tiny little pecan pies {without the pecans} and completely delicious.
cybercita at 8:52AM on 07/11/09
Wow, people from Hamburg...DH grew up in Hamburg, that's funny to see out here in SE land.
I totally agree about Tim Hortons, it's just not very good- except for the Timbits. They do something right with their donut holes, and we absolutely love grabbing a big ole box of Timbits for noshing in the car with the family. Everything else there is meh. It will be interesting to see how they fare in NYC.
ErikaWaz at 10:13AM on 07/11/09
I used to work at a Tim Hortons......they're fast food, no doubt, but still very appealing. The best thing I think is the breakfast sandwich....it's as dirty as an egg mcmuffin but SO MUCH TASTIER due to the biscuit they make it on. So satisfying.
I also really love the sour cream glazed timbits and most of the bagged teas. The brewed coffee/'steeped tea' is nasty though.
katrina at 10:13AM on 07/11/09
Nothing to get excited about. Timmy's is just the Canadian equivalent of Dunkin Donuts.
winkyj at 1:49AM on 07/12/09
I live in a town in Canada that has 22 thousand residents and eight Tim Horton's outlets - they are in most Walmarts up here too! Their coffee is addicting, no question - but I've weaned myself off it due to my husband's fondness for Starbucks coffee, which we make at home. Certainly they are very family friendly and a pack of Timbits can make a car ride a lot more pleasant!
Maureen at 8:48AM on 07/12/09
i'd forgotten about timbits. my boyfriend used to like those, i used to call them tim's bits, which annoyed him and put him off his feed.
cybercita at 12:13PM on 07/12/09
For doughnuts or Timbits definitely try the sour cream glazed. And get the butter tarts with the raisins in them.
PeanutButter at 8:30PM on 07/12/09
Unfortunately, Timmy's may get lost in translation. When Krispy Kreme opened several years ago in Toronto, it was all the rage. But after a while, the ones who were true to the donut stopped going or were admitted to the hospital, so they closed the location.
Although I am not a coffee drinker, TH makes a less fattening version of the Mocha Frappuccino that is a third of the price of Starbuck's. Works for me. DDonuts was always to rich for my blood; cholesterol wise.
Bon chance Tim Horton's!
canuckgal at 1:07PM on 07/13/09
Got an iced coffee and some Timbits. Coffee was very bitter, and even though the Timbits box shows chocolate and powdered sugar and other varieties, my selection was 8 apple ones and two plain ones. The best thing I can say for the Timbits is that they aren't overly sweet.
Next time I'm going to Dunkin'.
CandyBean at 7:31AM on 07/17/09
PeanutButter, the sour cream glazed are my favourite too!
(I hate butter tarts though. I haven't lived in Canada all that long.)
wellred at 9:25AM on 07/17/09
I imagine the T-Ho's brand will not produce the fierce hockey-stick wielding loyalty that it has here in Canada. Tim Horton's is like other Canadian National Treasure (hockey, poutine, Tom Green, The Tragically Hip), and seems to be a phenomenon that only Caneedians get, eh?
I personally go out of my way to avoid this place since the coffee is more like Memories of Coffee. But Tim Bits rule. Hard. They're great to bring to meetings and someone inevitably asks before getting down to business, "Who brought the dog nuts?" Yes, ALWAYs fun at meetings.
conky at 12:08PM on 07/17/09