There Has Been a Change

I like sandwiches. I have for a long time. Since I now spend most of my time working in the suburbs, I often eat lunch at Tim Horton's. The sandwiches are decent and the service is quick. It isn't the best sandwich I'll ever have but it is consistent. The location on Innes Road near Tenth Line in Orleans was exceptionally quick. I never waited more than a minute or two in line, even if it reached to the door and usually my sandwich was ready for pick-up before I was done paying. I ate at several different locations, and even though they were not quite that fast, they were usually very acceptable.

Last August, the parent company of Burger King purchased, Tim Horton's and merged the two companies while moving the headquarters to Canada. These guys are known for ruthlessly cutting staff but promised that no front line workers would be affected.

There seems to be about the same number of people working in a Tim Horton's location as before the merger but, the service pattern has changed.

In the past, if someone was waiting, any available staff would walk up to an available till and serve the next customer. This would continue until there every till was taking orders or there was no more available staff.

Things have changed.

In every location I have visited lately, there seems to be no concern if there is a line-up. In fact there are times that nobody will come up and take an order if I am the only person waiting. I will be left standing there. Once the line is out the door, then there is some urgency.

It appears there has been a shift in the service model at Tim Horton's. I don't think they have cut any staff but it wouldn't surprise me if they do not replace everyone who leaves through natural attrition.

I think this is a bad move for the organization.

Tim Horton's appeals to a broad spectrum. Everyone from teens to retired individuals will buy from Tim Horton's. There are a lot of people who know exactly what they want and feel their time is short, likewise, there are a lot of people who their local Tim's is the hub of their social life and can take a long time to order. If you do not serve everyone as quickly as possible, the line-up starts. Long slow line-ups are not appealing to anyone. Leaving people in line when they can be served only exacerbates the problem.

I have diversified my lunch dining options because I am not happy with the service at Tim Horton's. I still eat there but only once or twice a week instead of four or five times. to lose fifty percent of a customer's spending can be devastating. I'm sure I won't be the only one who cuts back at Tim Horton's. The people who will notice first will be the ones who frequent them the most, and those are the people you need to keep your business alive.

I have no inside information, I am only speaking from my experiences but I visit multiple locations on a regular basis and I'm seeing it everywhere. If you are from Tim Horton's and you can make a difference, I suggestion do. I'm sure most people have yet to notice and you can keep them. As for me, I'll continue to find new dining experiences, for lunch, in the suburbs. I'm not boycotting Tim Horton's, I'm just cutting back because the service isn't what I have some to expect.