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Tim Hortons Drive Thru

Robert Watcher

Well-known member
Tim Hortons Drive Thru


F7379F0D-4748-4D89-A2BF-5B290F291518.jpeg
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Beautiful but is it legal to cycle with earphones blocking ones ears?

How do they hear an oncoming car, a police officer or a horn?

Asher
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Interesting, cyclist seem to wear imaginary immortality cloaks too!

Often, they are barely visible at night in dark not reflective clothes and weak spluttering red rear light to protect them!

Asher
 

Jerome Marot

Well-known member
I had no idea what "Tim Hortons" was. I looked it up and found out they sell coffee and donuts. Why people would buy coffee in a drive thru is beyond me.
 

Robert Watcher

Well-known member
Canadians are addicted to coffee, and addicted to Tim Hortons. Their donuts, soups and sandwiches are hugely popular. The drive thru is generally lined up with cars - sometimes onto the roads at peak times —- in every location in most cities and small towns of Canada. Every Canadian as well as many Americans from the northern states, and increasingly Europeans —- know exactly what you mean when you say you are going to Timmys - or if you mention when you’ve been outside the country for some time without access to it, that you can hardly wait to hit a Timmys when you go home.

The world is catching on to Tim Hortons - https://www.thestar.com/business/2019/05/15/tim-hortons-takes-on-the-world.html

In fact there are many drive thru only Tim Hortons - including kiosks for take out only, in gas station chains. I guess its just normal for us to grab a coffee on the go as we head to work or drive places. We don’t even think about it. Most locations have both seatings areas and a drive through. The indoor seating areas are just as busy.


———-

With the closure of all businesses in Canada since March, the restaurants have been able to provide food by delivery or through take out - and so Tim Hortons has cordoned off its dining areas and only provide drive through.

Normally people on bikes don’t go through the drive thru windows to order and eat food or coffee
I’ve never seen one
and so it was comical when I noticed in the rear view mirror, this fellow put in his order and wait in line behind me. It was worthy of a capture to document a unique situation, so I asked Anne for her phone to take the pic.

Guess you gotta be Canadian to appreciate it ;)
 
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Robert Watcher

Well-known member
Interesting, cyclist seem to wear imaginary immortality cloaks too!

Often, they are barely visible at night in dark not reflective clothes and weak spluttering red rear light to protect them!

Asher

I guess you missed the point/story of the photograph. My response to Jérôme above may help.

———
 

James Lemon

Well-known member
I think all the speeders that I encounter on the road are the ones late for work because they have killed too much time in the line-up at Timmy's.

One can be charged without due care and attention or without reasonable consideration and be fined $400.00 to $ 2000.00. in most provinces including Ontario. Section 144 motor vehical act but I don't know if it would apply to cyclists.
 
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James Lemon

Well-known member
I had no idea what "Tim Hortons" was. I looked it up and found out they sell coffee and donuts. Why people would buy coffee in a drive thru is beyond me.

Employers can purchase jugs of coffee and boxes of donuts and use them for bribery and sucking up to employees from time to time. They can also reward them with gift cards!
 

Jerome Marot

Well-known member
Canadians are addicted to coffee, and addicted to Tim Hortons. Their donuts, soups and sandwiches are hugely popular. The drive thru is generally lined up with cars - sometimes onto the roads at peak times —- in every location in most cities and small towns of Canada. Every Canadian as well as many Americans from the northern states, and increasingly Europeans —- know exactly what you mean when you say you are going to Timmys - or if you mention when you’ve been outside the country for some time without access to it, that you can hardly wait to hit a Timmys when you go home.

The things I meant to say were:

  1. I did not know the name "Tim Horton". You assumed that everybody knew what it was, but parts of the international audience here have no idea. North America appear to be covered with restaurant chains, while this is a lot less common in Europe. Common international chains in Germany or France are: Mc Donald's, Burger King, Starbucks, Subway, KFC, Pizza Hut and that is about it (although I probably forgot some). Unknown are chains like Wendy's, Tacos Bell, IHOP, Chipotle, Jack in the Box, etc... Please do not assume that your reader will know what you are talking about when using one of these brands.
  2. Generally speaking, most restaurants are not affiliated to a chain in Europe. There are some chains, an incomplete list is here.
  3. Generally speaking, drive thru are rare in Europe. In Munich, I know exactly one (a Mc Donald's), although there are probably a few others. I personally find them very impractical, I would not know where to put my coffee while driving, for example.
  4. Still: in Munich enough people take a coffee on the way to work (not me, I have a coffee machine at home...) for it to be a concern to the city because of the extra waste from paper cups. But they buy it from stalls in the public transport system.
  5. The concept of restaurant chain which can be recognised from the road is apparently very central to north American culture, yet somewhat bizarre to me. The reason is probably that the car is more used in north America so there is a need to recognise the kind of food from afar. I rarely drive to a restaurant (also because they serve alcohol and I like a glass of wine over a nice dinner).
  6. All this has implications beyond food. For example, GPS maps, Google maps or services like Yelp, Foursquare, etc... have been designed with the north America paradigm in mind and do not really work well to find a restaurant in European cities.
 
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James Lemon

Well-known member
The things I meant to say were:

  1. I did not know the name "Tim Horton". You assumed that everybody knew what it was, but parts of the international audience here have no idea. North America appear to be covered with restaurant chains, while this is a lot less common in Europe. Common international chains in Germany or France are: Mc Donald's, Burger King, Starbucks, Subway, KFC, Pizza Hut and that is about it (although I probably forgot some). Unknown are chains like Wendy's, Tacos Bell, IHOP, Chipotle, Jack in the Box, etc... Please do not assume that your reader will know what you are talking about when using one of these brands.
  2. Generally speaking, most restaurants are not affiliated to a chain in Europe. There are some chains, an incomplete list is here.
  3. Generally speaking, drive thru are rare in Europe. In Munich, I know exactly one (a Mc Donald's), although there are probably a few others. I personally find them very impractical, I would not know where to put my coffee while driving, for example.
  4. Still: in Munich enough people take a coffee on the way to work (not me, I have a coffee machine at home...) for it to be a concern to the city because of the extra waste from paper cups. But they buy it from stalls in the public transport system.

The USA has many,many,many, independent drive through coffee establishments as well, in Canada we do not. When traveling in the USA I always support independent ones, they are convenient, easy to find,and can be found everywhere!
 
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Jim Olson

Well-known member
Tim Hortons
timhortons.com
Tim Hortons Inc. is a fast food restaurant chain, specializing in coffee, doughnuts, and other fast food items. It is Canada's largest quick service restaurant chain; as of December 31, 2018, it had a total of 4,846 restaurants in 14 countries. The company has its headquarters in Toronto.

I didn't know that Tim Hortons was in the US. I want to go get back into Canada when the borders open up. I love poutine... Also what to try Tim Hortons. Lars says they have a great breakfast sandwich.
 

Robert Watcher

Well-known member
Tim Hortons
timhortons.com
Tim Hortons Inc. is a fast food restaurant chain, specializing in coffee, doughnuts, and other fast food items. It is Canada's largest quick service restaurant chain; as of December 31, 2018, it had a total of 4,846 restaurants in 14 countries. The company has its headquarters in Toronto.

I didn't know that Tim Hortons was in the US. I want to go get back into Canada when the borders open up. I love poutine... Also what to try Tim Hortons. Lars says they have a great breakfast sandwich.

breakfast sandwich - either bacon or sausage on home-style biscuit- are regular treats for sure.

———

As to whether anyone knows anything about Tim Hortons on this forum, is irrelevant to the photo I posted. Jérôme you are incorrect that I was assuming that everyone on the forum knows what Tim Hortons is. Why would I care! Asher still makes comments that my photography is from South America, when in fact I’ve never been to any countries there. It doesn’t matter to me.

I am a photographer who takes and displays my work. That is all.

This image has relevance even if there were no names identifying the location. It can be determined that my car is in a drive thru lane, and that it is a fellow on a bike waiting for something, in my rearview mirror. But the real relevance is whether one finds it appealing in whatever way they determine that to be.

the additional information was added just to gives some insights on Tim Hortons and the way things work in Canada, because you brought it up and because I am fully aware most here know nothing about Canada.. If I ever visit Europe - which I know nothing about from experience - I will see how things are done there. That as it may - I enjoy compelling images from Europe without understanding the full context. And in most cases I’m not trying to understand - just enjoying, if it appeals to me in some way Thanks for your insights Jérôme.



———-
 
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Jerome Marot

Well-known member
Asher still makes comments that my photography is from South America, when in fact I’ve never been to any countries there.

I suppose that Asher confuses South America and Latin America, as most people who live north of a yet to be constructed "beautiful wall" do.

This image has relevance even if there were no names identifying the location. It can be determined that my car is in a drive thru lane, and that it is a fellow on a bike waiting for something, in my rearview mirror.

Maybe not as much as you think. At first, I thought that Tim Norton was a bank or something similar, which would make more sense for a cyclist who may not find it so easy to drink coffee riding a bicycle.

The context is clear to you, because you are used to drive-thru and less so to cyclists. My reaction to the picture is different: cyclists do not surprise me, I cycle myself regularly. Drive-thru are not common to me. All these are important to appreciate the picture.

the additional information was added just to gives some insights on Tim Hortons and the way things work in Canada, because you brought it up and because I am fully aware most here know nothing about Canada.. If I ever visit Europe - which I know nothing about from experience - I will see how things are done there. That as it may - I enjoy compelling images from Europe without understanding the full context. And in most cases I’m not trying to understand - just enjoying, if it appeals to me in some way

And from my part, I tried to add information as to how pictures from North America can be misunderstood from people who live in Europe. And we are still talking about parts of the rich western world with centuries of common heritage.

Thanks for your insights Jérôme.

You are welcome.
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
I had never heard of them. I saw the picture and thought the green was part of a botanical garden.

...but now I think it’s hilarious!

I will have to find one and try their coffee!

Asher
 
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