Tim Hortons on Wyoming and Fenkell

[brizee]

Title is pretty self explanatory.

Taking over for a two-year closed KFC. Looks like a lot of work is being put into it too.

I though TH was a "high-end" company so the location is a little surprising. I really hope they don't bring the nonchalant ghetto attitude to the place just because it's in the city. Other chain fast food restaurants nearby manage to be top quality, hopefully they can too.

But this combined with the mini-mall reopening after being boarded up for at least ten years is a positive for the corridor. The south part of it anyway.

[Bham1982]

Title is pretty self explanatory.

I though TH was a "high-end" company so the location is a little surprising.

Tim's is a fast food/donut shop. They don't eat donuts in Detroit?

I don't think they're making artisanal donuts. Organic locavore donuts on Fenkell, anyone?

[DetroitPlanner]

Timmy's is found in just about every neighborhood in Canada. You don't need to be a millionaire to get some coffee and Timbits, just a couple of bucks.

[xequar]

I read an article shortly after the economy blew up that was talking about Tim Hortons making big expansionary moves in Michigan. Apparently they felt that blue-collar Michigan jived with the good value of Tim Horton. Funny enough, TH was taking over 18 closed Starbucks locations at the time.

I can swing through the TH drive-thru and grab an extra-large coffee and a donut for less than $3. I somehow don't see that as high-end.

Also, a Timmy's at that location would do pretty well I think. Hell, it wouldn't be that hard to pop off the Lodge and grab a coffee if you're on your way somewhere else, even.

[stasu1213]

I read an article shortly after the economy blew up that was talking about Tim Hortons making big expansionary moves in Michigan. Apparently they felt that blue-collar Michigan jived with the good value of Tim Horton. Funny enough, TH was taking over 18 closed Starbucks locations at the time.

I can swing through the TH drive-thru and grab an extra-large coffee and a donut for less than $3. I somehow don't see that as high-end.

Also, a Timmy's at that location would do pretty well I think. Hell, it wouldn't be that hard to pop off the Lodge and grab a coffee if you're on your way somewhere else, even.

Why don't Tim Hortons open a restaurant in Lafayette Park?

[401don]

Why don't Tim Hortons open a restaurant in Lafayette Park?

Except for downtowns, Tim's, like most fast food, locate at busy street locations with lots of vehicles where they can have drive-thrus.

[donpablo]

Great News! Thats my neighborhood, we'll take it!

[313WX]

I think another Tim Hortons is opening on French Road and Gratiot.

Makes sense. Gratiot's arguably the busiest street in the city. There's steady bumper-to-bumper traffic during the morning and afternoon rush hours.

[royce]

Another Tim Horton's just opened at Seven Mile and Evergreen, replacing a former KFC/Long John Silver's. And that definitely looks like a TH at Gratiot and French roads.

[Zacha341]

Good to hear they are locating on Fenkell! We need more options within the city, in addition to what is going on downtown and midtown.

[Hamtragedy]

I wonder what portion of their proceeds Tim Horton's still donates to youth hockey, considering one of the most successful inner-city hockey programs is 7 blocks south and west of their new location. The program has fallen on hard times during the great recession, despite the fact that all the equipment is provided free of charge, including skates, sticks, and helmets.

For those of you not familiar, Tim Horton was 18 year stand-out defenceman for the Toronto Maple Leafs who was killed in a car crash driving from Buffalo to Toronto. He had several donut shops at the time of his death.

[EastsideAl]

The Tim Horton's at Jefferson and the Boulevard, across from the BI Bridge, seems to do quite well. Much better than the Starbuck's that preceded it in that location.

Most of the Detroit area is just much more a Tim's kind of place than a 'Buck's one, and it doesn't surprise me at all that this includes African-Americans and the city itself. Good for them. I share Brizee's hope that Tim's here in the city keeps up the generally high service/cleanliness standards of their stores, unlike some other fast food outlets.

[poobert]

I don't think Tim Horton's is high end, but it is interesting that it has been perceived that way. While it is fast food, you don't really have that gross, smelly, grease-pit fast food feeling when you're there. The predominance of sandwiches, soups, and coffee gives it more of a diner feel. I prefer it overwealmingly over boiling vats of grease.

That said, their coffee is essentially just hot brown water, good only in a pinch such as a hangover or the possibility of falling asleep at the wheel.

[iheartthed]

I though TH was a "high-end" company so the location is a little surprising.

I always thought it was more "Dunkin Donuts" than "Starbucks". In fact, they moved into the NYC market a couple of years ago by buying up the leases of about a dozen Dunkin Donuts locations.

[ejames01]

Another is opening on 7 mile and Evergreen

[401don]

I wonder what portion of their proceeds Tim Horton's still donates to youth hockey, considering one of the most successful inner-city hockey programs is 7 blocks south and west of their new location. The program has fallen on hard times during the great recession, despite the fact that all the equipment is provided free of charge, including skates, sticks, and helmets.

For those of you not familiar, Tim Horton was 18 year stand-out defenceman for the Toronto Maple Leafs who was killed in a car crash driving from Buffalo to Toronto. He had several donut shops at the time of his death.

Yes, poor Tim was killed while drunk driving at over 100 mph.

[Zacha341]

Yes, the sandwiches are decent, but that TH coffee just 'can't get right'. The worst. I wonder if they will have free wifi?

That said, their coffee is essentially just hot brown water, good only in a pinch such as a hangover or the possibility of falling asleep at the wheel.

[corktownyuppie]

Why don't Tim Hortons open a restaurant in Lafayette Park?

According to their website, Tim Hortons is over 99.5% franchise-owned/operated. Which means that if you want a Tim Hortons location near you, either you need to open it yourself, find a group of people to open it with you, or convince someone with money that it would be a good place to invest some money. Just over $150k, I think the website said.

I actually think that a TiHo would do well on Jefferson, near LP, though probably not on it, because of the lack of drive-by traffic.

But it does go to another point, city politics what it is kinda drives away a lot of potential investors. When the city can cater to the upper-middle income investor class -- which unlike the Top 1% wealth really does rely on the city for basic services/needs -- you will businesses and services open up in droves.

[Meddle]

Hell, it wouldn't be that hard to pop off the Lodge and grab a coffee if you're on your way somewhere else, even.

As long as you're driving an armored vehicle.

[313WX]

According to their website, Tim Hortons is over 99.5% franchise-owned/operated. Which means that if you want a Tim Hortons location near you, either you need to open it yourself, find a group of people to open it with you, or convince someone with money that it would be a good place to invest some money. Just over $150k, I think the website said.

I actually think that a TiHo would do well on Jefferson, near LP, though probably not on it, because of the lack of drive-by traffic.

But it does go to another point, city politics what it is kinda drives away a lot of potential investors. When the city can cater to the upper-middle income investor class -- which unlike the Top 1% wealth really does rely on the city for basic services/needs -- you will businesses and services open up in droves.

To be fair, I believe Derrick Coleman is one of the owners of the Tim Hortons franchise around Detroit. As we know, he's from Detroit, and part of the reason he's opening these stores is to give back to his community [[providing a variety of food options, providing jobs to kids in the city, etc.), even if he does take a bit of a hair cut profit-wise. Remember he filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2010.

Make no mistake about it, Detroit is still a tough place to do business [[regardless of city politics). A lot of these business that have opened recently have either been heavily dependent on tax subsidies [[see Whole Foods and the tax foreclosure thread in DYES to get an idea of unstable the downtown market still is) or they're just sacrificing their money because they care about Detroit, because the demand still isn't there yet.

If city politics were the driving force of a municipality's economics, then Chicago would be a ghost town right now.

[xequar]

As long as you're driving an armored vehicle.

Meh, I bike though that area sometimes, and I've never had any problems. But then, I also bike from Lathrup Village to Mack/Conner several times a week too. The only problem I have is the occasional bit of glass or metal making it into a tire.

Also, Tim Hortons coffee > the coffee from many other places, including Starbucks. Just sayin'.

[DetroiterOnTheWestCoast]

I did just see that Michigan is the fifth fattest state, so doughnuts should sell quite well.

[rutlev]

Now we need to increase the DPD to keep up with the donuts.

[stasu1213]

Except for downtowns, Tim's, like most fast food, locate at busy street locations with lots of vehicles where they can have drive-thrus.

That is true but one in lafayette park could be a unique one that rely on foot traffic especially from those who are going to work downtown or the two schools, one which is next door, the other across St Aubin, and King High School. The foot traffic and sit ins would make up for the lack of a drive thru

[laphoque]

One just opened next to Aldi in Highland Park.