Regional Differences In Fast Food Joints

[King Kamala]

I heard a Tim Horton's radio commercial along those lines down here in Maine about a month ago. First time I'd heard it here in the land of Dunkin Donuts.

[starvenger]

I know Tim's in Canada has been saying they do that for years. One of the national magazines did an article on it once where they sat inside the restaurants and timed how often they switched the pot and sometimes the same pot sat there for 2 or 3 hours.

I can't say I'm surprised, and I suppose that's why they don't actually have those ads anymore (I'm sure they do it during busy times though). But they do need to do something to try and distinguish themselves in the US, so I suppose it's a good strategy.

[Guest Vitamin X]

Starbucks tries to change their pots every 45 minutes. We just made sure to keep it hot, since 90% of people won't notice with all the cream and/or sugar they put in there.

[RepoMan]

I know Tim's in Canada has been saying they do that for years. One of the national magazines did an article on it once where they sat inside the restaurants and timed how often they switched the pot and sometimes the same pot sat there for 2 or 3 hours.

 

When I was woking at Dunkin Donuts we'd sometimes only change the less popular flavored coffees a couple times a 8 hour shift. I worked in a travel plaza on the Truway so we had enough buisness during the day so that we didn't need to worry about changing the regular coffee. We had the same 20 min rule too.

[DrVenkman PhD]

OK, I have to ask - did the Timmy's shops in Michigan JUST start doing the "new pot every 20 minutes" thing or is this something they've finally decided to start promoting this year? I keep seeing their commercials (StarChoice lets me get Detroit stations instead of the dreaded Buffalo ones) and I'm thinking, isn't this something they promoted in Canada 20 years ago?

 

And yes, I'm old.

 

I remember Jonathan Torrens and crew investigating this back in like, 1992 on Street Cents. It was company policy if they remembered to do it.

[King Kamala]

For some reason, Tim Horton's is by far the least popular fast food chain out here and yet it's survived about ten years. On the rare occassions I go there, it's always empty or near empty. It must have to do with Mainers love affair with Dunkin' Donuts.

[Darthtiki]

What I wouldn't give for a Dunkin' Donuts or a Tim Horton's here in So-Cal.

[Red Baron]

For some reason, Tim Horton's is by far the least popular fast food chain out here and yet it's survived about ten years. On the rare occassions I go there, it's always empty or near empty. It must have to do with Mainers love affair with Dunkin' Donuts.

 

Not many Canadians visit down your way? I head over to Buffalo all the time and they are fucking everywhere.

[King Kamala]

For some reason, Tim Horton's is by far the least popular fast food chain out here and yet it's survived about ten years. On the rare occassions I go there, it's always empty or near empty. It must have to do with Mainers love affair with Dunkin' Donuts.

 

Not many Canadians visit down your way? I head over to Buffalo all the time and they are fucking everywhere.

 

 

They must come during the summer or something because there are 3 or 4 within a 30 minute drive of my house but none of 'em are ever anywhere near packed.

[The Metal Maniac]

Kamala, I can tell you why there's a ton of Timmies over there.

 

The ferry that runs from Maine to Yarmouth.

 

And furthermore, the very idea of a Tim Horton's being empty and not busy sounds like some fantastical myth or something. There's no less then three Tim Horton's on the mall property where I work, and they usually all have a line.

 

Wait, I think there's four now.

 

Also, to jump back a bit, I love Cream Soda, but only when it's red; Clear cream soda fucks with my head, and I was quite saddened to see that Big-8 is apparantly going the clear route.

[King Kamala]

Oh I know why we have Timmy Ho's down here. We get a shit ton of Canadian tourists. Especially those damn French Canadian tourists.

 

It was probably just as astonishing for me when I went to Montreal and didn't find a single Dunkin' Donuts up there. Growing up in New England made me believe that every place in North America is just as innundated with Dunkin' Donuts as we are. I forget that they don't even have Dunkin' Donuts outside of the Eastern Seaboard really.

[Guest Tzar Lysergic]

Has ANYBODY here ever heard of a fast food chain called Hot N' Now?

[Guest Michael Myers Resplendent]

Oh I know why we have Timmy Ho's down here. We get a shit ton of Canadian tourists. Especially those damn French Canadian tourists.

 

It was probably just as astonishing for me when I went to Montreal and didn't find a single Dunkin' Donuts up there. Growing up in New England made me believe that every place in North America is just as innundated with Dunkin' Donuts as we are. I forget that they don't even have Dunkin' Donuts outside of the Eastern Seaboard really.

Sure they do. They've been in the midwest as long as I can remember, but the new trend is to twin them with Baskin-Robbins. I lived by each (then in separate locations) but patronized neither. Bresler's and (the late great) Patisserie of Arlington for me.

[PUT THAT DICK IN MY MOUTH!]

Has ANYBODY here ever heard of a fast food chain called Hot N' Now?

 

Yeah. I've never eaten there though, and the only one that was even close to where I live closed down quite a few years ago. According to Wikipedia there's only like 10 left in existence.

[Red Baron]

Whatever happened to Chuck E. Cheese. I remember when I was little there were adds of this place on TV and Radio about this place, yet I have never seen one before.

[Nighthawk]

Whatever happened to Chuck E. Cheese. I remember when I was little there were adds of this place on TV and Radio about this place, yet I have never seen one before.

 

This is your location that's messing you up. Chuck E. Cheese is still prominent. I could actually talk a lot about this place. When I was a very little kid, basically when my memory started, I was in Atlanta. And they had this place there, except it was called Show Biz Pizza. Show Biz and Chuck E. Cheese are exactly the same thing, except their mascot is different. Chuck E. Cheese is a rat, and Show Biz had a Hillbilly bear (appropriate for Atlanta, I suppose).

Also in Atlanta was a second tier place called Sgnt. Singer's, where the mascot was a tiger. They're long gone.

Chuck E. Cheese and Show Biz eventually merged. There's a handful of Show Biz still around, some outside the continent, but Chuck E. Cheese is still alive and well. I pass one every week on my way from my DUI class to the train station. It's right next to a Toys R Us.

 

It's a pretty shitty place, but kids like it.

 

There's some choice video of me there when I was like four, in Batman pajamas, which I wore 24/7, with a little girl trying to pull my pants down. I have an obvious erection. Yeah, that's some pimp shit.

[tekcop]

I still have a youth small Show Biz Pizza shirt and cup somewhere around the house.

[MFer]

I remember Hot 'n Now, all the ones in my area have been closed for years though.

 

As far a Chuck E. Cheese goes...the one in my town.

 

Anyone remember Discovery Zone? I had about 2 or 3 birthdays there as a kid.

[Dandy]

When Showbiz was merged with Chuck E. Cheese, some of the stores were converted to Billy Bob's Wonderland. Barboursville, WV, a suburb of the town I live in, has the only Billy Bob's Wonderland left.

[Guest Beastalentier]

Anyone remember Discovery Zone? I had about 2 or 3 birthdays there as a kid.

We grew up in the '90s, how could we not remember going to strip malls in the suburbs to crawl around in plastic tubes coated in the runny snot of thousands of kids?

[Vincent Vega]

trying to eat 3 double big macs in a half hour has ruined fast food for me

[Lord of The Curry]

Clearly you ruined it for yourself. Dont be hatin' on the Big Macs for doing their job.

 

[King Kamala]

Double Big Macs? I'm surprised we've never got those in the States. Does that mean there are like four patties?

[Red Baron]

Yes.

[King Kamala]

And you call us gluttons. Before you accuse us, take a good, hard look at yourself, Canada.

[fazzle]

Double Big Macs? I'm surprised we've never got those in the States. Does that mean there are like four patties?

 

 

We did have those in the states (or at least here in NC.) It was over 10 years ago though. I remember them being on the menu for about a year before they took them off.

[DrVenkman PhD]

McDonald's here introduced an Angus Burger but they serve it on a ciabata bun instead of a real person's bun. They also got rid of the Big Xtra to accommodate this. Double negative, Mickey D's.

[MarvinisaLunatic]

Ciabata bread is almost like an english muffin in texture but bigger. We use em at work sometimes.

 

 

[DrVenkman PhD]

When I worked days or afternoons and the cafeteria here served a sandwich on that kind of bread, I always found it way too hard and crunchy. I suppose it's also worth noting the commercial for the McDonald's angus burger calls it a "bakery style" bun, so maybe it just looks like ciabata.

[Guest College Party]

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