Tim Hortons 101. Why?

Tim Horton was a hockey player. Before he died a bunch of years ago he and a partner started a chain of Canadian coffee shops that are now a Canadian icon. Gazillions of dollars and millions of idling cars later, it's all good stuff.

A Tim Horton's customer has a simple vision - get my stuff...and go. Personally that means avoiding the drive-through. Parents with kids share the same vision - they're just oblivious to the fact that when you order 7 sandwiches at the drive-through, the visions of the 27 drivers behind you are blinkered in shades of red.

But I digress.

Fast service - get my stuff and go - at a Tim Hortons counter is easy to execute. Staffing.

The nice lady takes the order. The super-efficient kid loads the toaster. The trainee pours the coffee. Stand to the side. Gone in sixty seconds. Easy.

Little crappy Tims in strip malls understand and execute this concept easily. Painlessly. It's a thing of simple, customer service beauty.

So how come THE BIGGEST, BUSIEST TIM'S - LIKE THE ONES ON HIGHWAYS 401 AND 400, OR IN ANY OF CANADA'S BIG SHOPPING MALLS OPERATE LIKE THE CONCEPT IS SOME SORT OF YET-TO-BE-INVENTED BRAIN SURGERY TECHNIQUE? WHY?

DID THEY MISS THE MEMO?

AND WHY ARE CANADIANS SO GD'D POLITE? IT'S ANNOYING. RISE UP. STRAY OVER TO THE NICHOLBY'S. SURE IT SUCKS BUT HERE'S THE GOOD NEWS - NO LINE UP. ENOUGH PEOPLE DO IT, VOILA! GREAT SERVICE AT TIM HORTON'S.