Tim's Tries ..... Too little, too late



Tim Horton's announced three new initiatives today.  The CEO, Canada Division, announced that the new initiatives were directly in response to the negative spiral that the company has taken in terms of popularity with the Canadian consumer.

It is very hot and humid out.  I just took my perfect grandson out to the park where it poured rain for about 30 seconds.  We didn't even get wet and 1 minute later, there was no evidence of the rain.  Therefore, I am too hot to re-issue all my reasons for not supporting Tim Horton's.  The biggest one, of course, is their manipulative advertising pulling on our Canadian heartstrings when the corporation is no longer Canadian owned.

I do take some comfort that almost their entire senior management has changed over the last year.  That means that our disdain in affecting their bottom line.

The first new initiative announced today was that they were going to start delivery services.  It seems weird for a business that gets most of their business from drive-thru, but, apparently delivery has been test-marketed and has been successful so they are going to continue to expand this service.  By "them", they don't actually mean that Tim Horton's will be doing the delivery, they mean that they are going to join the mobile delivery apps out there, such as Skip The Dishes.  So, actually Tim Horton's won't be doing their business any differently.  The consumers just have another avenue to get their coffee.  Once the fee is added, that will be one expensive cup of coffee.  You might as well go to Starbucks and get a real cup of coffee.  (By the way, Starbucks also made announcements about the future of their business.  They are eliminating plastic straws by 2020.  They also were responding to negative media image, but they are actually doing something.)

The second new initiative announced today will be all-day breakfast.  Big whoop.  Most moderately priced restaurants have been having all-day breakfast forever.  Also, Tim's is only doing this in response to the success of McDonald's and A and W has had doing this.  In other words, they are copying someone else's work.  I don't know if all-day breakfast can be considered as a new initiative.

The third new initiative announced today is that they are exploring introducing a Kids Menu in September.  I don't know if they have ever been inside one of their franchises.  It is loud, quick moving, and difficult to find seating.  It is very child un-friendly.  One of the reasons that most people "meet for coffee" at Tim's is because it is a chance for some adult-only conversation.  Right now, they have "tim-bits" as their product of choice for children.  It really works out well as most parents appreciate the opportunity to give their children straight sugar.  You might as well give them the sugar jar to drain.  Expanding this to making a Kids Menu is perplexing.

These "new" initiatives speak to a company that can't figure out what they are good at and specialize in this.  They keep introducing new products which seem contradictory to one another.  Remember, one month is was "perfectly uncomplicated lattes" and the next month "latte with espresso shot and salted caramel swirls".

Perhaps they keep trying new things in an effort to find something that they are good at or something that the public will be loyal.  Keep searching.  You lost my loyalty when you ceased being Canadian yet still market yourself as being Canadian.

In other news, Tim Horton's plans to open 5000 stores in China over the next two years.

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