Tim Hortons finally made it to China a couple of years after they first announced the joint venture with Tencent Holdings, the same company that owns the popular WeChat communication APP here in China. I should clarify: Tim Hortons, known as Tims咖啡 here in China, has been in the country for about a year since they started opening stores in Shanghai, but they only recently made it to Beijing, where I live. I had the chance to visit the shop at their CBD location in Beijing, a shopping mall known as The Place.
The store is reminiscent of the stores back in Canada, the beige and white walls, seats and tables that give the shop an overall clean and tidy feel (it should since it’s new). The shop differs from its Canadian counterparts in that it is rather small, there is just enough room for people to enter from one door, place their order, pick up, and exit through the other. If they want to stay inside, then they would have to double back and move against the line up at the cashier. There are seats behind the kitchen area, but if you sit there then picking up your order becomes an issue. There is plenty of outdoor seating, which is good because this mall has a lot of space with wide walkways and Beijing’s weather allows for it most of the year.
How was the food?
Here is the original review I posted:
Thank fvxk that Tims is in China.
The Montreal Smoked Ciabatta sandwich, though nothing like what you’d get in Montreal except at Tims, was pretty good, standard Tims fare with the regular processed cheese and mayo that they use.
The brewed, iced coffee that I had was equal to what you’d have in Canada, so that is also a success. Next time I’ll try the hot coffee.
The Boston cream donut I had, however, is a fail. It tastes like the plasticky, fake chocolate donuts sold around China without the rich, denseness of the yeasty bread in Canada. Notably the chocolate covering wasn’t worth the calories although creamy centre saved it from being a complete disappointment.
Overall, would I come back? Yes. The sandwich selections are alright and are made the way Tims has always made them. The donuts, although disappointing, may be a victim of their location and ingredients available, but I’d still have another one.
I ended up going back the next day and tried out the Farmer’s wrap, the hawthorns n timbit stick, and the hot coffee. The wrap was very good and had what seemed to be real ham, which is something I haven’t found in China before, and the hot coffee was like the coffee you’d find in Canada.
And this is one of the marketing points of Tims here in China: brewed coffee. Whereas most other coffee companies offer espresso-based drinks (Starbucks, Costa, Luckin, Dunkin, Wagas, etc.), Tims is the only one to offer its signature brewed coffee. And it’s “reasonably priced” at 18 RMB for a regular sized cup of coffee. But some quick conversion shows that, in China, you’re paying about $3.50 CAD for the same coffee you get in Canada. Granted, there is no sales tax in China, but it still makes you think about what it’s worth. The espresso-based Americano is available for those who want it, but that costs the more normal 24 RMB, or about $5 CAD. Tims goes international and their prices go big city, too.
How about that hawthorn n timbit stick?
This is unique to China:
The hawthorn stick was alright, though the two slices of candied hawthorn tasted like the dried fruit-style, which isn’t representative of how the fruit taste on its own. Anyway, lots of sugar in that serving but no one is coming to Tims to lose weight!
And, just like in Canada, Tims has a rewards card so you can “earn” some free food and drink. It’s a good idea and seems to be a better offer than most other rewards cards offered here, though it would take 960 points to get a free coffee, or about 1000 RMB / $200 CAD. I guess if it was a place I went to regularly it might work out but they’d have to open a location closer to my neighbourhood in order for that to become a possibility.
Finally, in my latest “LIVE” episode on my podcast page, I discuss a little bit more about the significance of Tims咖啡 here in China as it is not only a recognized Canadian brand, but it is also a partnership between Tim Hortons and Tencent which counterbalances the partnership between Alipay and Starbucks. Luckin Coffee, unfortunately, tried to go out on its own and are now caught up in some legal battles about their transactions numbers.
Seeing Tims咖啡 in China is a welcome sight and it’s nice to have some Canadian brands and “food from home” available.