Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Tim

It appears I'm going to have to update the Moving to Iqaluit FAQ.

The FAQ has been about trying to explain the realities of living in Iqaluit. Explaining those realities, I've discovered, has scared off as many people as it has lured up. But the one thing I've always used, more for a punch line than anything else, is that Iqaluit has no Tim Hortons.

However, I can't use that punch line any more. It's not just that there is going to be a Tim Hortons coming to Iqaluit, there's going to be three of them coming here. Which is a wee bit of an overkill, but hell, I'm not a businessman, so what do I know.

It'll be interesting to see what impact this will have in town. It's not like the city is hurting for coffee opportunities. I'm not a coffee connoisseur by any stretch, but then again, coffee connoisseurs don't drink at Tim Hortons. Although if they get a drive through, it'll be amusing to see people pull up on a ski-doo.

I think the big loser in this, aside from the obvious hit some coffee shops will take in town (you will note the mayor of Iqaluit didn't express her delight at Tim's impending arrival, it was the deputy. That's because the mayor owns a coffee shop) will probably be the Tim's at the airport in Ottawa. Man, that outlet made a mint off people flying to Iqaluit.

I'd say I won't miss the line at the Ottawa Airport Tim's, but let's be honest, the line-ups in Iqaluit are probably going to be pretty brutal anyway.

Cathy's happy, by the way. And while I could give a rat's ass about the coffee, I do have a weakness for donuts, so this could get bad.

Now, if you could get a Wendy's or The Works up here, then I'd be all set. And probably 30 pounds heavier.

Note: I hadn't thought of it until Chris Windeyer mentioned it on Twitter, dear God the litter. Iqaluit is bad for litter at the best of times, adding a Tim's is a bit like lobbing a nuclear bomb of litter to the mix. This could get ugly.

Last Five
1. A house where nobody lives (live) - Tom Waits
2. Look no further - Dido
3. Wild horses - Rolling Stones
4. Narc - Interpol
5. Someday - Ron Hynes

8 comments:

Megan said...

THREE?

I mean, Yellowknife only has one. We could use two. But three would be overkill here.

-N- said...

Three? I'm surprised they haven't had any in Iqaluit yet, but I wonder where they'll put three? Must be little ones. Do you know where they're going?

towniebastard said...

I suspect you're going to see one "full" Tim's probably at NorthMart and two of the kiosk Tim's at the other two locations.

I think one is going to be across the street from where Cathy works, one next to where I work and one about a two minute walk away from where we live. So we're pretty well fucked.

WJM said...

Although if they get a drive through, it'll be amusing to see people pull up on a ski-doo.

I hate drive-throughs, but if you can do that, I am getting on a plane to Iqaluit!

Brian said...

Seal skin drinking mitts, polar bear skin cup holders, caribou intestine drinking straws. The minds must be going bonkers at the Tim’s marketing arm.

Jay L said...

Ohhhh I do so miss The Works.

BayGirl said...

Wow. Three all at once does seem to be a bit much! And by the way I'm loving the visual of a queue of ski-dooers going through the drive through as well. Tres amusing, indeed. As for the litter...I drove down a stretch of road last night in town and counted maybe 10 Tim's paper cups within 3 minutes (McDonald's junk seems to be another favourite for motorists to toss out their windows for some reason). Insane. What is the need? Really? They are called garbage cans and recycling bins, people!!!

John Mutford said...

I'll no longer know the answer to the question, "What's the largest community in Canada not to have a Tim Hortons?"