Achi news desk-
Pizza and coffee weren’t what Jeet Shergil expected to order on his lunch break, but he saw the posters for the new menu item at Tim Hortons and decided to give it a try.
“It tastes good,” he said, after taking his first bite.
Shergill is a regular at the King Street Tim Hortons in Kitchener. He said the best part about flat pizza was how quickly it was ready.
“Just the convenience. It’s fast and you get it right at lunch,” Shargil said.
According to the fast food company, with the new ovens at Tim Hortons locations across the country, the flatbread pizza can be ready in about 65 seconds.
The flat bread bases are sent to the store but the rest of the pizza is made to order.
The pizzas are $6.99 for cheese only and $7.99 for the other varieties which include bacon, chicken parmesan and pepperoni.
“Just to see that they have four different flavors, I can pick my favorite flavors to find out which one I like best. But I have my eyes on the chicken,” said Kenny Linsman, a regular customer.
Linsman said he and his co-workers said seeing pizza on the menu was shocking but in a good way.
“I was surprised but I’m excited to try it,” he said.
A customer takes a bite at the new Tim Hortons pizza on King St. in Kitchener, ON on April 17, 2024. (Heather Senoran/CTV News)
Tim Hortons has dominated the breakfast scene for years, but hopes to gain more customers in the afternoon and evening hours.
“You start to see all these companies drifting into the same market space, and that’s where you get the increased competition,” said Brad Davis, associate professor of marketing at the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics.
Marketing experts said pizza was an obvious choice for a new menu item. Restaurants Canada last year ranked pizza as the sixth most ordered item in the country.
“It’s pretty much a staple of our diet in North America,” Davis said.
Some are skeptical and think Tim Hortons is moving too far away from the staples we are used to.
“I think they might be going a little too far with things now. I think they should just stick to what they’re known for,” said one customer. “that’s a bit strange.”
Davis scoured the Internet to gauge the response.
“I know there are people on the Internet joking about whether it’s going to be a donut flavor or a cream-filled pizza,” Davis laughed.
The launch follows a two-year pilot at several Tim Hortons locations across the country. Officials told CTV News that this time, the pizza won’t just be a ‘limited time only’ product and it’s here to stay.
