The Carleton campus has a lot to offer, including 25 computer labs, 32 official campus buildings, two bars, two hockey rinks, and five Tim Hortons.
That’s one Timmies for every 6.2 buildings on campus.
As Carleton’s dining website says: “Tim Hortons serves Canada’s favourite coffee.” And they’re right. We’ve all been reared on the brand and actually even derive a sense of national pride from it.
Putting the likelihood of a corporate takeover by American hamburger royalty aside—isn’t it just a bit odd that having five Tim Hortons on campus is business as usual, but if you replaced them all with McDonald’s or Dunkin’ Donuts students would be up in arms about how the university is unabashedly selling out to corporations.
It’s a double standard. A double-double standard, even.
In the interest of fairness, Carleton does offer plenty of other dining alternatives to students and faculty including a Second Cup, two Starbucks, and the student association run Rooster’s Coffeehouse—but arguably none have the accessibility or the profile Tim Hortons maintains on campus.
I was at the Civic Hospital recently visiting a family member and I wanted to grab some dinner. It was 6:30 p.m. and to my surprise the rather large hospital cafeteria was shuttered. A custodian, noticing my shock, informed me the cafeteria had just closed, but that there was a Tim Hortons still open nearby within the hospital.
Same with the cafeteria at the Queensway-Carleton hospital, which closes at 2 p.m. on weekdays, and is closed on weekends.
Who needs hospital-run cafeterias when you can put in Canada’s favourite restaurant instead? The hospital saves a few bucks and people get the Timbits they so desperately crave. A classic win-win.
Only these cafeterias are supposed to serve an important purpose: to provide healthy and fresh food for patients and staff—which at a hospital makes a lot of sense.
Now Tim Hortons may not be as unhealthy as some other fast-food businesses but it seems to exclusively offer customers a choice between caffeine, sugar, and carbs—with the exception of their recent foray into Greek yogurt.
And that’s the risk Tim Hortons poses to campus—it will swallow up alternative, healthier, and independent food vendors like a sugar-deprived kid swallows up a dozen donuts: fast at first, then one-by-one.
How could it not? It’s an incredibly streamlined and efficient fast food company. No independent coffee shop could directly compete with Tim’s prices and even if they could, Tim Hortons would probably still steamroll them.
Now I can’t even bring myself to stop buying Tim Hortons—let alone suggest others do the same—so if you were expecting to read a call for some boycott I’m sorry to disappoint.
The powers that be within the university just need to realize variety is the spice of life, and maybe some more options for a quick coffee on campus would be welcomed.
Because before you know it, there could be a Tim Hortons at the entrance to every building and the end of every tunnel on campus.
Just let that thought percolate.
