Thoughts on Burger King buying Tim Hortons?

[mmntech]

I think Wendy's might have owned them at one point even, I'd have to look it up.

Twas. There's still a few Tims/Wendy's combo restaurants left.

 

[Imp]

Has zero effect on me. I must be one of the few Canadians that hates Timmies. Terrible coffee/tea and their food isn't much better. Their doughnuts really went down hill once they started mass producing them.

I frankly don't understand my fellow Canuckleheads' obsession with Tims.

For me, it's cheap, available, and familiar. Go to almost any neighborhood -- and I've been to tons of small towns in the past few years -- and chances are you'll run into a Timmy's. I'd prefer McD's, but I would actually have to put effort into looking for one. Lot of A&Ws and Wendy's out in the middle of nowhere though.

 

[mmntech]

For me, it's cheap, available, and familiar. Go to almost any neighborhood -- and I've been to tons of small towns in the past few years -- and chances are you'll run into a Timmy's. I'd prefer McD's, but I would actually have to put effort into looking for one. Lot of A&Ws and Wendy's out in the middle of nowhere though.

This guy I know grew up in the middle of Buttfuck Nowhere in Northern Ontario. Not even a single Tims up there. Closest fast food place was an A&W, and even that was an hour's drive. Told me he once drove an five hours to the Soo just to get Big Macs. Came home with a couple buckets of KFC and sold it at the local bar.

Strangely, I didn't encounter very many Tims when I took a trip to Halifax a few years ago. There's fewer there than there is in my home town. There's like 9 of them within a ten minute drive from here.

Coffee and tea is free at work, and they've got a decent supplier, so there's really no point in me buying it.

 

[jumpncrash]

I actually kinda like Tim's muffins, burger king, no clue, never been, as to their corporate merger, couldn't care less

 

[eldorado99]

I hate to see another Canadian company being bought out by a US company, but from a consumer point of view, I'm fairly indifferent, I don't really think much will change and if it does it will probably be for better and not worse. I'm sure BK knows Canadians love their timmies and they're not going to do anything drastic.

While Tim Horton's is always seen as a Canadian icon, in reality it's really just another money hungry corporation that uses temporary foreign workers, sadly.

Interestingly Tim Horton's at one point was a burger joint, and now they're being bought by one.

Tim's hasn't been Canadian owned for a looooong time

 

[Eug]

Starbucks espresso drinks are quite good, but their brewed drip coffee? Utter garbage, mcD's is much better

I can't stand Starbucks coffee. It doesn't taste roasted. It tastes burnt.

Timmies coffee is generic tasting, which IMO is preferable.

OTOH, you can't get any real speciality coffees at Timmies.

If I want the Starbucks style flexibility, then I go to Second Cup, which sometimes has better coffee than Starbucks. If I want something fast and cheap, then I go Timmies.

 

[OverVolt]

BK is going to ruin Tim Hortons which from what I hear isn't too bad up in Canada.

 

[CZroe]

BK already serves burgers all the time, so you can have a whopper for breakfast.

I'm on the road a lot and in a hurry, so I hit far too many of fast food places. BK was my most commonly available favorite but with this announcement I'm boycotting them forever. As far as I'm concerned they are the corporate equivalent of draft dodgers. It may be perfectly legal (in large part due to our GOP gridlocked congress) but to me it is absolutely morally wrong and disloyal. I don't think this is a matter of party politics but part of being a responsible American citizen.

I know it will hurt the local franchises but that's the price they pay for tying their future to someone else's actions-there is a bad side as well as a good side to franchising.

Not everywhere. They had "Whopper for breakfast" on the menu when I lived in San Diego but it totally threw them for a loop when I asked for it after moving back here. Also, 2 for $5 is the cheapest they ever get here when San Diego had a $2.50 "Whopper Wendsday" combo deal for years that eventually went up to $3 by the time I left in late 2011.

 

[Imp]

Rise ye couple month old thread...

Rumors about job cuts at Tim Horton's HQ in the coming week...

http://business.financialpost.com/2...nt-layoffs-at-head-offices-next-week-sources/

 

[twofastxtreme]

I feel like BK is just like Sears when they took over K-Mart, just going to keep going down hill.

 

[mmntech]

Rise ye couple month old thread...

Rumors about job cuts at Tim Horton's HQ in the coming week...

http://business.financialpost.com/2...nt-layoffs-at-head-offices-next-week-sources/

"Oh, Ontario's economy is just fine. The people have more cash and jobs than they know what to do with. That's why we're going to have to raise taxes to pay for all this sweet stuff. Recession? What recession?"

I know a lot of people losing their jobs lately. Echoes of 2008 all over again. Not surprised though. Any time there's a take over, they purge out the old staff and replace them with their own people.

 

[Red Squirrel]

The economy here is actually going in the crapper. People don't realize it but it is. Everywhere you look companies are cutting jobs, merging, being bought out (which leads to more job cuts) etc... it's pretty bad.

Let's not get started with the temporary foreign worker program, that has screwed everything up even more.

If people don't have jobs, they don't buy but instead depend on tax dollars.

 

[mmntech]

The economy here is actually going in the crapper. People don't realize it but it is. Everywhere you look companies are cutting jobs, merging, being bought out (which leads to more job cuts) etc... it's pretty bad.

Let's not get started with the temporary foreign worker program, that has screwed everything up even more.

If people don't have jobs, they don't buy but instead depend on tax dollars.

Friend of mine grew up in Hornpaye and tells me the stories of what it's like. How everyone's on welfare and there's not much hope. The job situation is certainly better down in the south, but it's tanking too. All my co-workers who got laid off with me haven't found any jobs. One went from television presenter to working part-time in a clothing store. It's sad.

I really do feel sorry for you guys in the north. You've been ignored for longer than I can remember. Not likely to change anytime soon though. Wynne only cares about two things: keeping her civil servants fat and voting Liberal, and downtown Toronto. Everyone else can pay up and go to hell. The joke is there's so much wealth up there that nobody's exploiting. My buddy told me about plans for a big cobalt mine but it got quashed because the province didn't want to negotiate with the natives. Would have brought lots of jobs.

 

[Imp]

"Oh, Ontario's economy is just fine. The people have more cash and jobs than they know what to do with. That's why we're going to have to raise taxes to pay for all this sweet stuff. Recession? What recession?"

I know a lot of people losing their jobs lately. Echoes of 2008 all over again. Not surprised though. Any time there's a take over, they purge out the old staff and replace them with their own people.

Don't worry, man. That 0.25% Bank of Canada interest rate cut will save you $250/year for every $100,000 you borrow -- if your credit agreement is based on a prime rate that the banks will pass on to you. That's like $20/month!

 

[DrPizza]

Has zero effect on me. I must be one of the few Canadians that hates Timmies. Terrible coffee/tea and their food isn't much better. Their doughnuts really went down hill once they started mass producing them.

I frankly don't understand my fellow Canuckleheads' obsession with Tims.

I think it's popular here for one reason: hipster wannabees can shout "Timmie Ho's!" and feel smug about using the nickname. Their food is mediocre fast food. Their donuts aren't anything special.

 

[cbrunny]

I find it funny when Americans that have never even seen a Tim Hortons try to understand how this might impact a consumer.

Also this is a repost.

 

[KeithTalent]

Has zero effect on me. I must be one of the few Canadians that hates Timmies. Terrible coffee/tea and their food isn't much better. Their doughnuts really went down hill once they started mass producing them.

I frankly don't understand my fellow Canuckleheads' obsession with Tims.

Nope, I'm with you, it's awful.

KT

 

[Denly]

Has zero effect on me. I must be one of the few Canadians that hates Timmies. Terrible coffee/tea and their food isn't much better. Their doughnuts really went down hill once they started mass producing them.

I frankly don't understand my fellow Canuckleheads' obsession with Tims.

+1

Tim's coffee average at best, their food is terrible their breakfast sandwich is disgusting. Coffee and bagel are the only two things I will get if I have to.

 

[Grooveriding]

Tim Hortons is acceptable in a pinch, but the coffee is pretty bad and I can't tolerate it without some sugar and cream. I find Starbucks to be the same; overly bitter and pretty horrible unless you soak it in some sugar. Other than one off non franchise coffee houses you need to make the good stuff at home to get a decent cup of coffee.

Hopefully the people working in the stores don't start getting cut. Those are very low-paying jobs and if you're working there you're either a student or someone without any other options who likely really needs that income to keep going.

 

[Red Squirrel]

The thing about Timmy's is that it's easily available and fairly consistent. Sure they may not be as good as some gourmet place or something but if you want a coffee or donut you just need to walk a block in any direction and you'll probably find a Tim Horton's.

 

[OverVolt]

To be honest, I got my info on Timmies up in Canada watching trucker josh on youtube. He's gone there a few times and been disappointed with the quality since BK took it over. I don't think he knows BK took it over. But the management/food quality has declined bigtime from what I've observed.

 

[Engineer]

They do have great hot chocolate though!

Wasn't this an attempt by Burger King to stop paying US taxes, IIRC?

 

[Imp]

Job cuts confirmed:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/tim...fs-at-headquarters-regional-offices-1.2933704

Not seeing any numbers yet.

 

[KMFJD]

They do have great hot chocolate though!

Wasn't this an attempt by Burger King to stop paying US taxes, IIRC?

Yeah, corporate taxes are lower in Canada

 

[Red Squirrel]

Job cuts confirmed:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/tim...fs-at-headquarters-regional-offices-1.2933704

Not seeing any numbers yet.

It's funny because they were not suppose to do that, it was part of the contract. Clearly they found some kind of loophole. Maybe those employees are considered contractors or something.

I'm sure the big suits in the ivory towers will be getting big bonuses over this.