Like us, you’ve probably pondered Starbucks’ complete and total domination by asking, rhetorically, “What’ll they serve next, beer and wine?” And the answer is yes—that’s exactly what they’ll serve next (in limited markets in the States). But while Starbucks is expanding into booze, Tim Hortons has been muscling into the Starbucks market with outlandishly sized coffees and espresso-based drinks. Sure, their espresso might “smell like aluminum” and their latte might taste “tinny,” but the move is a clear encroachment on Starbucks’ turf. Not to be outdone, Starbucks seems to be trying to woo some of Tim Hortons’ customers with its new blonde roast. In a promotional video, one of their roasters says the new offering is perfect “for the person who always wished that Starbucks had a roast like this.” In other words, writes Jessica Allen at Maclean’s, it’s perfect for the typical Tim Hortons customer. It’s a subtle play, but if Starbucks tries to sign Sidney Crosby or appeal to sleepy Canadian nationalism, we’ll know what’s going on. Read the entire story [Macleans] »
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With its new blonde roast, Starbucks ups the ante in its simmering coffee war with Tim Hortons
Tim Hortons adds new extra-large cup, outguns Starbucks
Starbucks vs. Tim Hortons cup sizes (N.B.: Starbucks’s trenta size not included, since it’s only for cold drinks)
In news that’s already sending shock waves across the nation, Tim Hortons announced today that it’s introducing a new, larger coffee size: the mammoth, 24-ounce extra large, which will appear in stores January 23. To accommodate the new name, the old 20-ounce extra large has been renamed large, the old 14-ounce large is now a medium, the old 10-ounce medium is now small and the old eight-ounce small is extra small. If this is a cash grab, it’s not a blatant one: consumers will pay the same price for the same amount of coffee (e.g. a new small will cost what an old medium used to cost). No word yet on retaliatory measures from Starbucks, whose puny 20-ounce venti has now been definitively outclassed (and no, its trenta doesn’t count; it’s only for cold drinks).
When we first reported on the arrival of debit machines at Tim Hortons in 2010, we didn’t think it would come to this. Sure, we worried about the lines that would form as customers stabbed at the Interac terminals to pay for their double-doubles. But this is something else: last night, two men allegedly went on something of a PIN pad shopping spree, making off with the hand-held terminals from nine Tim Hortons drive-throughs in the GTA. Their M.O.? Distract the clerk, cut the cord connecting the device to the cash register and then speed off. Police finally nabbed the pair—clearly not criminal masterminds—as they were going for PIN pad number 10 at the Timmy’s in the east end at Kingston and Markham roads. As for the motive, Constable Tony Vella of the Toronto Police told reporters he couldn’t speculate on the case, but noted that some criminals have used stolen and altered PIN pads to collect sensitive banking data. We wonder whether these guys weren’t just hoping to move the lines along faster. Read the entire story [CBC] »
Rob Ford embarks upon the most predictable year-end media blitz ever
(Image: Christopher Drost)
Rob Ford is wrapping up his year-end interview circuit, having spoken to (most of) the city’s major dailies, along with a few local broadcasters. The media bits are mostly predictable affairs, with Ford repeating things he’s been saying since he ran for office. But there are a few gems hidden among all the talking points. In the Globe, for instance, Ford professes his love for quarterback Tim Tebow. While the interviews are disappointing, it’s worth noting that it’s Ford, not the reporters, who deserves much of the blame here (although not always). Ford’s the one who seems unable to stray from a small smattering of talking points. A roundup of the mayor’s media blitz after the jump.
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Jason Chesworth recently phoned Rob Ford’s office to voice his support for Occupy Toronto, and he recorded the entire thing. In the recording, a Ford staffer takes the line, and his first question for Chesworth is a polite, “Your thoughts on why they should be able to take over a park illegally?” The staffer also insists that the best place to make change happen is at the ballot box and calls marching a “bully tactic.” The conversation rambles on, covering topics like Canada’s banking system, healthcare and the European economy—there’s even a little fear-mongering from the staffer (“I hear the Communist Party is down there”). The discussion goes on for 20 minutes, and it almost sounds like a couple of regular citizens having a nice chat at the local Tim Hortons—something which we’re pretty sure Ford would approve of. Listen to the entire recording [Soundcloud.com] »
Taste testing the new Tim Hortons espresso drinks with Bulldog Coffee’s Stuart Ross
Bulldog owner Stuart Ross at his downtown coffee shop (Image: Meaghan Binstock)
Monday marked the arrival of the new line of Tim Hortons “premium espresso”–based drinks we told you about a couple weeks back. Nestled in next to the iced cappuccino machine at Ontario locations is a new spaceship-like contraption that spits out everything from a simple espresso ($1.19) to cappuccinos ($2) and fancy-flavoured lattes ($2) using powdered milk. With one press of the appropriate button, the drink comes out, coffee, milk and all (there’s also a happy face made out of sprinkled cocoa on top of each beverage). To mark the occasion—and satisfy our curiosity about the stuff—we asked Stuart Ross, the owner of Bulldog Coffee and a champion barista, for his professional’s opinion on Timmy’s latest creation. What followed was a lot of confusion and some less-than-smiley faces, starting with the espresso. »
Tim Hortons to bring espresso to the 99 per cent
See you latte; Tim Hortons executive chairman, president and CEO Paul House (Image: CNW Group/Tim Hortons Inc.)
Tim Hortons, that Canadian bastion of par-baked doughnuts and extreme folksiness, announced yesterday that it will soon be making espresso-based coffees available in 2,500 locations across Canada. The drinks, which include lattes, cappuccinos and espressos, will be selling for significantly less than at their competitors: a 10-ounce latte is priced at just $2, compared to $2.95 for 8-ounces at Starbucks.
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With news of price hikes at Starbucks, we called around to see what indie shops are charging for their coffee
The coffee display at Manic Coffee (Image: Renée Suen from the Torontolife.com Flickr pool)
On Tuesday, the Toronto Star reported that Starbucks had raised its prices for coffee and other beverages across the country by anywhere from 10 to 15 cents for a grande bold (16 ounces). This comes after Tim Hortons raised its prices back in April, which interim CEO Paul House attributed to the increasing cost of coffee thanks to a fungus that destroys coffee plants in Colombia. We decided to survey several local coffee retailers to see how a shift in the market is affecting their business. Check out whose prices went up, whose stayed the same and what innovative measures are being taken to offset costs, after the jump.
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“Stuff of Canadian legend”: locals and expats react to the new Dubai Tim Hortons
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We’re pretty sure that Tim Hortons brass were excited to set up shop in Dubai last weekend, but going by initial reports, that’s nothing compared to the joy of expats who’ve discovered a tiny oasis of Canadiana away from home. Sure, we’re used to getting our fix at any of three locations within spitting distance, but Canadians living in the Middle East have had to live Timbit-free since leaving home. We decided to poke around the Emirati blogosphere to see how locals and blissfully re-caffeinated Canucks have taken the big news.
Tim Hortons opens first Dubai shop, begins new era of coffee and doughnut colonialism
(Image: Tim Hortons)
After fulfilling its mission to open three stores for every library in Canada, this weekend Tim Hortons went ahead and set up shop in Dubai. According to a story in The National, Canadian expats swarmed the “Tim Hortons Café and Bake Shop” on opening day, rejoicing that the coffee and doughnuts taste exactly the same—which is not surprising, coming from the company with the infamous finely tuned par-bake then freeze process. The Dubai location has the same menu we’re used to—sadly no fun McArabia Kofta equivalent—and the staff has been fully educated on what that whole “double double” thing means.
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Recent fact-checking spree reveals that no, Etobicoke doesn’t have more libraries than Timmies, contra Doug Ford
Not a Tim Hortons (Image: Anthony Easton)
We suspect that “fact-checking the Fords” will be a growth industry for city hall watchers, especially after Ed Keenan’s piece in the The Grid giving a rundown of five examples in just one week. But this one, uncovered by the (library union–backed) advocates at OurPublicLibrary and picked up by the Toronto Star is kind of a howler: Doug Ford was quoted on the radio as saying “We have more libraries per person than any other city in the world. I’ve got more libraries in my area than I have Tim Hortons.” That statement is getting the drubbing it deserves on Twitter (look for the hashtag #booksnotdonutsforford), and the facts are pretty clear.
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Joe Fresh’s anticipated New York opening excites tourists, not analysts
Joe Fresh is making the move to New York this fall, but some skeptics suggest that the Mimran dynasty may have to pull back to Canada sooner than anticipated. Analysts seem mixed on the potential success of yet another fast fashion retailer. The Financial Post notes that companies who moved south of the border (among the fallen are Danier, Harry Rosen, Tristan, La Senza and Brown’s Shoes) haven’t always been welcome, while the New York Times highlights a boom in tourist traffic around Joe’s chosen 5th Avenue and 43rd Street location.
The housekeepers revolt: behind the labour dispute at the Royal York Hotel
In an era of decline for organized labour, an aggressive hospitality workers’ union is determined to turn menial labour into middle-class employment. To do so, they need to galvanize the recent immigrants who overwhelmingly staff the service industry. First stop, the Royal York
Battleground: the hotel union has co-opted celebrity guests, such as Martin Sheen, to draw attention to its cause (Photographs: Strikers by Cristal Cruz-Haicken; Street by Jerryb8/dreamstime.com/Getstock. Illustration by James Dawe)
On a warm morning last September, the managers of the Fairmont Royal York Hotel had a PR problem. The Toronto International Film Festival had just begun, and celebrities were trickling into the city. The 1,365-room downtown hotel was booked solid, and the lush Library Bar stocked with the ingredients for $14 TIFF Tinis, but outside on the sidewalk, hundreds of unionized Royal York workers were on strike, angrily accusing the hotel of exploiting them. They pounded on overturned buckets and exchanged call-and-response chants: “What do we want?” “Contract!” “When do we want it?” “Now!” And they marched back and forth across the grand Front Street entrance singing “We want a contract” to the tune of K’naan’s “Wavin’ Flag,” and hoisting red and black banners emblazoned with the logo of UNITE HERE, the aggressive international union that represents 8,000 hospitality workers across the GTA.
Outside the main doors, Martin Sheen stepped onto the pavement and was immediately mobbed by the crowd. He gave a thumbs-up to the strikers and began shaking hands and slapping backs, looking every bit the left-wing political hero he once played on television. The strikers eagerly linked arms with him and marched before the cameras and TV crews that were scrambling to get the best angle. Someone thrust a megaphone into Sheen’s hands, and he gamely improvised a few slogans. “When it gets tough in labour disputes like these, people say that it’s a lost cause,” he said, his voice rising passionately. “Well, I’m here to remind you that lost causes are the only causes worth fighting for!” The logic seemed a little shaky, but the crowd roared its approval anyway. “Stick to it like a stamp!” he shouted with a final wave, before he and his son Emilio Estevez were whisked off in a white Escalade. Read the rest of this entry »
Introducing: The Big Guy’s Coffee Shop, Queen West’s latest coffeemonger
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With a name like The Big Guy’s Coffee Shop, it’s tempting to think of Parkdale’s latest café as some kind of ironic jab at Starbucks and Tim Hortons. It’s named after the owner, Steven Turner, who earned the moniker during a managing stint at Second Cup because, well, he’s a pretty big guy. The South African expat has had a fairly successful run with The Big Guy’s Little Coffee Shop in New Toronto and decided a new venture closer to downtown was the next step.
Finally, Tim Hortons gets debit terminals
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We’re pretty sure this is all the fault of latte-sipping downtown elites. First Starbucks announced that it was going to make people wait longer for take more care with people’s drinks, regrettably leading to longer waits (FYI: the Starbucks at King and Yonge has apocalyptically bad lineups in the morning rush). And now even that bastion of rapidity, Tim Hortons, is caving to the demands of people who want to take longer to pay. The ubiquitous doughnut chain is about to break its Mastercard-only rule and let customers pay with debit cards.
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