Tim Hortons is the same as Starbucks

Posted on 07. Nov, 2008 by Ryan Northcott in Starbucks, Tim Hortons

Tim Hortons claims to be the quintessential Canadian staple. Cheap coffee, which is easy to order, with a country kitchen menu and donuts. Here’s the thing, it’s a farce. Tim Horton’s is just the same as Starbucks, just worse.

I went to said Tim Horton’s this morning, and as I wafted through the coffee and old lady perfume scents I was reminded of the current Tim Horton’s commercial in which a rough and tumble mechanic eats his soup in the most elegant way.

I can’t describe how much this annoys me. Tim Horton’s has always pandered to the blue collar, rough neck crowd, which is fine, but now its over the top. Starbucks on the other hand, doesn’t necessarily pander to the white collar crowd. It’s ads are based not on its clientele, but the drink, season, or feeling. You don’t see a soccer mom in a Starbucks ad, you see a fancy drink.

This all boils down to branding. Tim Horton’s brands itself as the average Joe’s place for Joe, whereas Starbucks brands itself as the third place, a place away from home and work where you can hook up your laptop, read a book and escape from the turmoil of everyday life.

Many people have a good ol’ hatred for Starbucks. Mostly because they claim their drinks are over priced. But if you’re getting a regular 20oz coffee at either place you are paying almost the same. If you get a Tim Horton’s Blended Coffee versus a Starbucks Frappuccino, again you are paying almost the exact same price.

The idea that Tim Horton’s is any more Canadian than Starbucks is ridiculous. Starbucks over the last couple years began Starbucks Coffee Canada, a separate company than the main corporation. Tim Horton’s on the other hand is aggressive in its exapnsion to the US, and their partnership with Wendy’s is advancing that.

In Canada alone, there are 2,800 Tim Horton’s locations across Canada, Starbucks boasts roughly 993. Of course Tim Horton’s gets a pass card because they don’t have two across the street from each other (on Robson St. in Vancouver there are two kitty corner).

The bottom line is a successful bid by Tim Horton’s to brand itself as a wholesome, ma and pa coffee shop, but it is exactly the opposite. It is just as bad as Starbucks in placing its logo on everything it sells in its stores, advancing the brand and airing commercials that are so far fetched it is almost laughable. The “slow cooked” chili? Its been sitting in a metal pot for 4 hours.

Tim Horton’s is NOT your average Joe’s coffee shop. It’s the same type of mega-corporation like Starbucks.

Share and Enjoy:

Tags: Brand, Chains, Coffee, Expansion, featured, Frappuccino, Logo, Starbucks, Tim Hortons

Carson

I'm 62, and I live in Vancouver. All my life I've been quite individualistic. I have never owned a television and I never shall; I loathe hegemony. I don't go for advertising, and there are no ads on my computer; and no Flash. Got the picture?

But you are wrong, wrong, wrong. (Now, don't get mad. I'm laughing; not meant as an insult.) I walk miles and miles around Vancouver (don't own a car anymore). And I like coffee. What coffee? Black, dark roast, no cream, no sugar, no French attributes, no nothing. Black coffee. Okay? I used to have it at Army & Navy when it was 50 cents, and I have it at Starbucks and Tim Horton's and everywhere else. In ceramic, because I like forests. (No, I would never, never carry water in plastic on my long walks.)

Tim Horton's ads might show anything on earth. I wouldn't know; I've never seen an ad. But Tim Horton's in real life is open to whomever walks in the door. On Dunsmuir Street in the Vancouver city core, that is mainly Chinese students of the local downtown colleges, here for a few years to learn English. They overwhelm the place. I like kids, and I like the Chinese culture, and I like being there. Tim Horton's does not cater to any particular social slice. It opens its doors to whomever. You've been watching too many ads and not hanging out at enough coffee shops, my friend. By the way, Tim Horton's is on both Canadian and American stock markets, and the Canadian franchises are mostly Canadian-owned, and there are many more of them than American outlets. So it's a multi-national corporation, predominantly Canadian; Starbucks's is basically samesame but different, being predominantly American.

Starbucks has a nicer ambience, with better acoustics for soft music. Tim Horton's is ultra-Spartan; you could wash it down with a fire hose. Bare walls in Tim Horton's are conducive to its patron-crowds shouting at one another because of the resounding clash of sound. Starbucks is not like Tim Horton's; the Starbucks equivalent is Blenz, my friend. Both can do music; both attract laptop computers. On Vancouver's Thurlow Street, Starbucks also attracts the most beautiful line of polished Harleys you've ever seen.

Definitely and unquestionably Tim Horton's attracts more your basic hockey set, as Tim Horton himself was a hockey player. You know that, I hope. Starbucks likewise attracts whomever walks in the door, but that person will be much more lined up for ambiance and more expensive, less utilitarian fare. You get more expensive, "better" high-caloric content at Starbucks, and you get donuts at Tim Horton's. Rather small but good donuts.

And that's the point. Tim Horton's markets the healthiest junk food it can to a basically no-frills clientele. That is totally, conspicuously, obviously not the same as Starbuck's, where you're more likely to take your girlfriend or your computer. Starbucks markets multigrain bagels and cookies for the Beautiful. Starbucks coffee is much stronger; both are very good. But in real life, you should have compared Starbucks with Blenz. Tim Horton's would be an easier franchise to get into than Starbucks. As for being corporations, well, of course they are: what is your point? You don't expect Ma and Pa to personally brew coffee for several thousand coffee shops, do you?
Ada

Yeah, I wouldn't like my world without fast coffee either :P

Oh my! It is quite funny the way the ordering at the Starbucks is! After I saw You've Got Mail I actually tried to order the way its supposed to be and I couldn't, day after day it just ends up being "hi, yeah, I want the biggest coffee you got" haha :D.. And the first times what was confusing was the "Grande" since in spanish it means big, so I had to stand there and think about how I would order the biggest cup they had.. Who would have thought that ordering a cup of coffee would get complicated..

You know, it would be awesome if Starbucks made coffee machines. I wish for that every day when I have to drink the horrible liquid the "coffee" machines at work spit out.
Ryan Northcott

But, what would you do if you needed coffee and you didn’t have time to make it and all these coffee shops weren’t there?..

I never thought of it that way. That makes me sad :(

Your aren't missing much with Tim Horton's. It's the same!

I do love Starbucks, perhaps because in my early years I worked there, but I often see people bash on Starbucks because of what they represent...I like them cause their coffee is quality and tastes good.

I thought of this while I was writing this, you know Starbucks has their stereotypical way of ordering drinks..ie; Grande Non-Fat No Foam Latte...

Well Tim Hortons is just as bad. You've got your Double Double or Single Double or Double Cream or Double Sugar or whatever...ughg.

Oh, I've had my share of going across borders...it's quite possibly the worst experience in the world!
Ada

You know what. Coffee is ALWAYS going to be overpriced when you buy it like that and anywhere, its basically the service and convenience they sell. I am not familiar with Tim Horton's since I haven't been to Canada, but since you said they are very aggressively expanding towards the U.S. it makes me imagine they would reach Mexico (and then that makes me laugh :P). But you're right, the Tim Horton's way of marketing their shop is quite hypocritical. I mean, from what I understand they say they sell their product to the hard workers that not necessarily earn much and their prices don't match what they are saying. Just like the burger places where they sell "good old fashion burgers and milkshakes" for like twice the price compared to a Burger King and they taste the same!!.. Anyways.. I love Starbucks coffee, I think the taste alone is worth the over price and well in the several years I've been buying it I can't remember ever getting bad service. But the Starbucks in Mexico or at least the one here in Mexicali is extra over priced and not as good as the one in the U.S. So yeah, I still have to cross the border to get a good old cup of coffee (don't even get me started on crossing the dang border!) and a cinnamon cake.. Pricey.. But hey, if your going to get wet...you might as well go swimming ;D

But, what would you do if you needed coffee and you didn't have time to make it and all these coffee shops weren't there?..