Tim Hortons — Restaurant in Hope

Treated Rudely and Felt Racially Profiled

I had a very upsetting experience at this Tim Hortons around 5:45 PM. I arrived at the drive-thru and said “hi” three times at the speaker, but no one responded. Since no vehicle was in front of me, I drove ahead. At the window, a white girl kindly greeted me. I explained I had not been attended to at the speaker and needed tea and food for my night shift. She was respectful and helpful. Another staff member also came and politely clarified they were busy and couldn’t attend the speaker.

Suddenly, a young brown woman, heavy-built and around 5’5”, came to the window and immediately began yelling at the staff in front of me. She said she would not allow any orders to be made at the window unless it was something quick like tea. Her behavior was aggressive, negative, and disrespectful—not just toward the staff, but also to me.

When I tried to order a tea and potato veggie sandwich, she flat-out refused in a rude tone. I asked for her name, and she refused to give it. When I asked again, she ran off and hid, which made the situation feel even more unprofessional. All the staff looked scared and uncomfortable around her, as if she was their supervisor.

What hurt me most was how she treated me—as if my presence and request were a problem simply because I am a brown-skinned man. I strongly felt that if I were white, I would not have been treated this way. Unfortunately, I’ve seen this kind of behavior from some Tim Hortons staff before, where brown customers are treated with less respect.

It takes the same amount of time to make an order whether it’s placed at the speaker or at the window. Her reaction wasn’t about time—it felt like pure bias and power-tripping. I left hungry and...

I give it two stars because someone isn't doing their job properly. The poor supervisor working the drive thru that day was on the verge of quitting and I can't say as I would blame her. It's busy and she had never worked drive thru before, and to make matters worse whomever did the scheduling didn't schedule anyone to work that had. Four staff on and nobody had knowledge of the drive thru, and their drive thru screens weren't working either. My boyfriend who was in the vehicle ahead of me received his coffee for free after waiting in the line for 20 mins, I paid for mine although I was there just as long. I took the time to talk to this poor woman and after hearing what they had done to her I didn't mind paying for my coffee although I think the money should have gone into her pocket not the till. No location should ever be scheduled to have no trained drive thru staff working especially at the first/ last Tim Hortons location before/ after the coquihalla highway and highway 3. I give the supervisor 5 stars for keeping it together as best she could in that situation. I don't know if she did quit but I wouldn't blame her if she did. 4 staff on duty and nobody trained for drive thru someone needs to give their head a shake. And if the lady working that day reads this, I'm the one that took the time to talk to you, in the big purple jeep, if you stuck it out good for you and if you quit great you shouldn't have had to deal with that...

I am writing to express my disappointment with the service I received at one of your locations. This was not my first visit to Tim Hortons, so I already knew exactly what I wanted to order. At the drive-thru, I requested an iced cup and a frozen lemonade with no cream.

When I arrived at the window, the staff member handed me a lemonade and informed me that the frozen version is called a “Quencher.” While the terminology is not an issue—other locations have always understood “frozen lemonade”—the response I received was unprofessional.

After I politely clarified my request, the staff member turned around, with the window still open, and complained to another employee about our “stupid mistake.” I was then lectured for several minutes about the name of the drink, only to be given the wrong order in the end—my frozen lemonade still came with cream. Unfortunately, I had to throw it away.

I understand that mistakes happen, and I have no issue with that. What is unacceptable, however, is the rudeness and lack of attention to the customer’s request. Respectful service should always be a priority, regardless of the circumstances.

I hope this feedback helps improve training and customer service at this location, as experiences like this make loyal customers reconsider...