A coffee chain that tried to go up against Tim Hortons
Posted by Ill_Toe_5703@reddit | GenX | View on Reddit | 22 comments
I know it was real, a friend's Dad invested and the franchise went bust. Cannot remember the name, and google isn't helping. It was early to mid 90's, in Ontario, and I think it was named after another hockey player. Help! It's driving me mad (and my husband thinks I'm wrong) 🤨
Ill_Toe_5703@reddit (OP)
Definitely Eddie Shack! Just saw a picture of the stores facade, that's it and my brain is at rest lol and I love being right!
snark_maiden@reddit
Yup there was an Eddie Shack in Caledon, at the corner of highways 10 and 24 IIRC
CrayRich@reddit
That one was there for a long time too. It only became a Tim Hortons within the last decade. I think? The years all seem to blend together after a while.
Techchick_Somewhere@reddit
Hello neighbour 😆
cv640driver@reddit
disobedientavocado45@reddit
I haven't visited in a very long time. Coffee Time? Are they still around?
CK_CoffeeCat@reddit
Robin's was way more popular out in my section of Vancouver Island back in the 80s and 90s. I don't think there even was a Tim's in town back then. Much better donuts. They also had 'Robin's Eggs' instead of Timbits, which weren't filled but were all cake, IIRC
keiths31@reddit
Robin's in the late 80s and early 90s was poised to take on Tim's and be a true head to head competitor. But it was bought up by the company that owned 2-4-1 Pizza and as soon as the hands on founders were out of the picture, Robin's stalled and eventually started getting smaller.
Unfortunate. Robin's was great.
shell_shocked_today@reddit
One of the big things that killed Robin's for me was that Tim's went non-smoking before them. I had a choice of going into a doughnut shop that had a stale smoke smell on everything, including the doughnuts, or go to Tim's. Despite preferring the doughnuts at Robin's when both were smoking, when Tim's went non-smoking they were the clear winner.
(I don't recall if Tim's went non-smoking before legislation, or if Robin's just didn't care enough to stop people smoking)
keiths31@reddit
Guess it depends on where you lived. In Thunder Bay (where Robin's was founded) they went smoke free in their corporate stores long before Tim's did here. Franchise stores held on much, much longer.
fight_fire_with_wood@reddit
Robins still exists on PEI. Not sure about the rest though f Atlantic prov.
keiths31@reddit
They are pretty popular in Newfoundland
WinterDOS@reddit
Country time or robins?
Empty_Nestor@reddit
Was it Country Time?
aethelberga@reddit
My mind went to John Anderson's, but it was a souvlaki place. First place I ever had souvlaki.
Active-Possibility77@reddit
Stan Makita's Doughnuts?
Beautiful_Arm8364@reddit
lol beat me to it
Vanilla_Danish@reddit
Eddy shack donuts??
Ill_Toe_5703@reddit (OP)
Yes! I think that was it. Thank you so much 😁
fujidust@reddit
Second Cup?
Ill_Toe_5703@reddit (OP)
Nah, it went bust right away, pretty sure it was sports themed like Timmy's....
CurtG79@reddit
Robin's Donuts?