It's over for Tims..

Added: 2026-05-26

[00:00:00]Dunkin Donuts is coming back to Canada big time. Why? Well, it's because Tim Hortons is vulnerable.

[00:00:09]Good news. No correction, folks. Great news. Tim Hortons is about to get some much needed direct competition when it comes to the coffee and donuts front.

[00:00:20]That's because after an 8-year hiatus, Dunkin Donuts is coming back to Canada big time. As reported in the Toronto Sun by the superb food professor Dr. San Charlabo, once upon a time, Dunkin Donuts was a formidable player in the Canadian coffee and donut sector, especially in Quebec. Dr. Charla is the director of the Agra food analytics lab at Delhauszy University as well as co-host of the food professor podcast and he's a visiting scholar at Miguel University. He knows his stuff when it comes to the food and food service sectors and he notes quote for years Dunkin Donuts collapse in Canada was viewed as one of the great business failures in the country's food service sector. Once a formidable rival to Tim Hortons, especially in Quebec, Duncan gradually disappeared from the Canadian landscape before officially exiting in 2018. Many assumed the brand was gone for good. End quote. But now comes word that Duncan is coming back and it means business with as many as 700 locations in Canada beginning later this year. The player behind the return of Dunkin Donuts in Canada is Foodtastic.

[00:01:42]Foodtastic is a Montrealbased restaurant consolidator that has a reputation for aggressively acquiring and revitalizing brands across Canada. This includes such chains as Petit, Second Cup, Freshy, and Quisada. Dr. Charla notes that unlike many foreign operators trying to enter Canada, Foodastic actually understands the Canadian and Quebec markets intimately. And this understanding is crucial for success. So the question arises, why is Dunkin Donut set to return now?

[00:02:23]Well, in his estimation, Dr. Charla says the decision to revive this iconic US brand in the great white north is all about identifying weakness in our domestic market. He notes quote for years Tim Hortons dominated Canada's quick service coffee market with extraordinary efficiency. It wasn't just a coffee chain. It became part of Canada's cultural identity. But dominance can create complacency.

[00:02:55]And the Canadian marketplace today is very different from the one Duncan left behind. Consumer loyalty has weakened.

[00:03:04]Canadians are far more willing to switch brands than they were 20 years ago.

[00:03:09]Inflation has changed buying habits.

[00:03:13]Consumers are increasingly critical of value, quality, consistency, and service. At the same time, the coffee market itself has evolved dramatically.

[00:03:24]End quote. The good doctor is right on the money. What's more, I think Dr. Charlawa is far too polite in his analysis of Tim's reputational downfall.

[00:03:35]I mean, let's be honest here. Most of the food stuff Tim Horton serves up these days is practically inedible. As for the chain's decades old slogan, always fresh, well, folks, that's an outright fallacy. Tim Horton stores used to bake doughuts and muffins from scratch. But about 20 years ago, they got rid of their bakers, a decision that was driven by reducing labor costs. Now, the stores heat up so-called parbaked items, which are nicknamed frozen pucks.

[00:04:08]They are heated up in convection ovens.

[00:04:10]This is a task that's easily done by those making minimum wage and without any knowledge of baking whatsoever.

[00:04:18]always fresh indeed. And maybe it's just me, but why do so many Tim Horn stores seem so shabby? And why are the washrooms so frequently filthy at Tim Horns? It's like nobody in charge seems to care anymore, which is why Dr. Charl notes that quote ironically Duncan's return may say less about the strength of Duncan and more about the reality that Tim Hortons is no longer viewed as invincible.

[00:04:51]That alone makes this story worth watching carefully. End quote. And I would add that even though Tim Hortons wraps itself in the Maple Leaf, Tims is no longer a Canadian-owned chain, but part of a multinational conglomerate, it is Canadian in name only. And I'm sure the man it is named after is rolling in his grave right now. And one last thing, I am now going to give the CEO of Foodastic eight figures worth of free consulting advice.

[00:05:25]If you really want to resonate with Canadian customers who are pissed off with Tim Hortons, here's what you do.

[00:05:34]Stage a press conference in which you announce that your company plans to hire Canadians to staff Dunkin Donut shops and that you will not take advantage of the temporary foreign worker program. I am certain this would be a winning communication strategy for Foodastic as it resurrects Dunkin Donuts in these parts. And wow, talk about irony in this day and age of elbows up, which is to say, will an Americanbased coffee and donut chain actually end up being more Canadian than Tim Hortons? Can't wait to see what transpires in the months ahead.

[00:06:23]Isn't it so sad and even enraging to see what Tim Hortons has become? And if you feel like we do, folks, please go to our petition, timsboycott.com.

[00:06:34]That's timsboycott.com.

[00:06:37]Yeah, sure. They love selling product to Canadians, but less and less they are actually hiring Canadians. instead taking handouts from the temporary foreign worker program. Please send this company a message. Say that you're done.

[00:06:53]That's timsboycott.com.