Tim's used to be the original third place up north. In smaller communities or local (blue collar) enclaves, it still is. It's the blue collar connotation that's lead to their declining use in urban centers.
I'm not sure its 100% "blue collar connections." That may be part of it, but the quality of food/drinks at starbucks has gone down dramatically in the past 5-10 years.
I worked full time there for awhile and happily ate hundreds of meals there. Now I won'tbeven touch my favourite donuts (#sourcreamglazedgang)
I dont know if its a corporate level thing or a franchise level thing, but man, Tim's sucks now
[edit: i meant to say the quality of tim's food has gone down, not starbucks]
I think it’s a mixture of corporate decisions and economic forces. For one thing, commercial real estate has skyrocketed even moreso than residential. If you’re a franchisee and your lease has shot through the roof but you can’t raise food prices then you’re going to demand corporate switch to cheaper ingredients and processes.
I just had a sandwich at Tim's the other day. It was freshly made with fresh ingredients. I was pleasantly surprised. In the middle, Tim's had food quality issues, but if the last experience is any indication, they have recovered nicely from it.
I heard from a Canadian friend of mine (very reliable source) that Tim's corporate changed to the same supplier of coffee beans that Starbucks uses. It's possible their other meal options were changed similarly.
The implication that I don't go to Tim's because I don't want to be in proximity to or associated with blue collar workers is extremely offensive to me as a Canadian.
