Sunday, September 18, 2011

Tim Hortons in Dubai: An account by a Canadian who has seen it with his own eyes

James O'Hearn is a totally awesome individual. Not only has he already been to the new Tim Hortons in Dubai (which is, as he describes it, before the first interchange, "right next to a Starbucks, between an Applebees and the French Connection") when it opened yesterday morning he was their very first customer!

In what surely could and will be one of those tearjerker Tim Hortons Christmas commercials, he set his alarm and walked in the doors at 6.55am yesterday to cheers from the staff.

Highlights:
*coffee is Dh7!
*the food tastes the same!
*no everything bagels! (I laughed because so far the only comment on the blog is "are you serious about the no-everything bagel part?" As O'Hearn explains, UAE officials no-likey the poppyseeds)
*American sizing
*no drive-through

I loved this part:


I'm happy Timmies is here, because now I can get a nice soup, bagel, and coffee for lunch. I can grab a pack of Timbits for my kids, or a French Vanilla for my wife, just like how we used to have it back home.


But as much as I am happy, I also wonder... will this be yet one more thing that makes me so comfortable, so complacent, that I end up not going back at all?


And then, an update: I came back, a day later. The place was absolutely overflowing. They literally could not keep stock on the shelves, and one of the managers I had met from the day before was sitting outside, around the corner from the front door, looking like he was ready to just collapse on the pavement. He recognized me, and as we shook hands, he said "Since you came, it hasn't stopped."


I hope to get there this week to file my own report, but for now, he can tell you all about it. With pictures! Over to you, James.

2 comments:

Jennifer J said...

I just went to a conference room in my office (way up high, on SZR) so that I could look up and down the road for the Applebees. Can't see it, but I will be on the hunt for the Timbits, for sure.

James O'Hearn said...

Thanks for the shout-out, Ann Marie.

Yeah, I know, I do sound a little christmas-commercial like, but honestly the longer you live away form home, the more certain, ordinary things take on over and inordinate amount of the imagination.

@Jennifer J... It's just past the Financial Centre metro stop.

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