Friday, February 21, 2014

TIM HORTONS COUNTER SERVICE


Earlier today, here, I posted a bit in regards to Tim Hortons eliminating certain items from their menu in order to speed up counter service. A commenter wrote the following in response...

"Faster service would be more likely if they hired more counter help! Like, DUH!

Unless they have to offset paying for additional hands by getting rid of production costs for certain obscure items on the menu, I can see that. But the slow service is also due to the fact that they offer way too much on that menu as it is. If you're going to offer so many things, be sure you have the proper manpower in place to do it.

It's like inviting the football team over for dinner when you only have a jar of pickles in the fridge."


I wrote a reply, and after I noticed how long it was, I decided to make it a posting in order to bring it to the front counter. My own comment...

"Your points are good ones.

At one time, for a time, I would get the toasted-bagel-with-cream-cheese. My habit was broken when I found that I was biting into a warm bagel, not a toasted one. I asked a lady behind the counter one day why bagels were no longer 'crunchy'. Without missing a beat she told me that head office issued one of their procedural notes saying that the toasting time was to be reduced to something like 27 seconds. Great! A brilliant method to retain and win-over customers!

Another Tim Hortons I would occasionally pop into had a manager with an attitude. (In earshot: "Who in the hell asks for decaf in the middle of the day?" Great! A brilliant method to retain and win-over customers!)

While I have found that the manpower issue varies from store-to-store, I agree with you that there are too many "things" on the menu. And there are not dedicated sandwich-makers in the stores; often the girl or guy on the cash has to don the gloves, and walk over to prepare the item.

To boot: I'm sure Tim Hortons head office is bitching about the fact that they will soon have to pay a whole $11.00 an hour. (Oh, no; that 75 cent per hour pay increase per head will upset their shareholders. This world is so unjust....)"

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