Tim Hortons Hasn't Been Canadian-Owned For A Long Time
Tim Hortons Hasn't Been Canadian-Owned For A Long Time
For all its red and white color schemes and general maple leaf-ness, Tim Hortons isn't quite as quintessentially Canadian as you might have assumed.
Just a little reminder.
Pisses me off to no end that they use the Canadian identity for marketing when they sold out decades ago.
Also their coffee and food has been shit for a long time too, coincidence? I think not.
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Returning from Europe to Canada one of the first things that strikes me is how crappy Canadian fast food all is. Even in the UK, which was once famous for bad food, there are all kinds of places now to get good food and drinks on the go. When you get back to Canada it's so grim to see only Tim Hortons in the airport, with its overpriced stale pastries, leathery donuts and tasteless coffee.
It's because they can afford to. I remember pre-covid a local gem restaurant bought up a spot in the airport, did well. Covid hit and they didn't have the money to support a location while air travel was at a low. Plus extra costs associated with running a restaurant during a pandemic.
There were other, complex reasons, too. The owners were assholes, some employees spoke out about working conditions, and they had a PR nightmare. But honestly, it was good food.
Still, all those problems would be a blip on the chart for a company like Tim Hortons who can get away with shit quality and shit conditions ad infinitum.
The only decent fast food I've had lately is A&W, specifically their breakfast.
They at least make their breakfast the same way I would at home, so it's decent.
McDonald's is awful and has only gotten more expensive. Tim's is meh, I get tim bits and hot chocolate occasionally.
I've found Canadian pastry does not compare with European, which is unfortunate. I think the extra moisture content in our butter means traditional pastry recipes do not translate as well.
I guess I'm mostly a Harvey's guy as far as Canadian fast food chains are concerned. Pizza, subs, shawarma, etc. are up there too, though there are too many of those to list.
My daughter took me to Odd Burger when I was up in Ottawa and I could totally get into that if only we had one where I am.
I live in the UK, one thing I'll say on this specifically, McDonalds here tastes like it's shit food that's too expensive. In Canada it tastes like shit, but it almost tastes like you're not being bent over the counter and having your pockets turned out.
There's definitely some cities here that have a massive selection of different take away places. London, the only thing I miss about London is the variety of different foods. If I get stoned and drunk and feel like Ghanaian at midnight, it's likely I'll be able to get it. Might be cold, but it'll turn up. I'm in Edinburgh now, and while there's definitely a growing selection of foods, it's still mostly variations of greasy white people food. Take away in the vast majority of medium to small cities is exactly like Canadian cities of similar size, Chinese delivery, 1 or 2 pizza shops almost certainly one will be Domino's, some Indian delivery, 3-10 chippies, and McDonald's, Burger King or both.I have to agree unfortunately. I've spent a lot of time in the states and have eaten my fair share of McDonalds while living here. I visited my home town in Canada a bit ago, and the Mcdonalds tastes so weird. It wasn't bad perse, but it wasn't exactly good either.
Frankly, probably for the best. Have Canadians save money cooking for themselves or going to places more deserving. Always explore your local non-chain options.