On vacation this past week, I discovered the glue that holds Canada together. It’s not a unified government, nor is it ice hockey. It’s not a celebrity or a television station. It is clearly Tim Hortons—the Starbucks of Canada. Not that they don’t have Starbucks. But Tim Hortons is their coffee/donut chain (on every corner and discussed among TV news anchors to fill conversation). Life without Tim Hortons would be unlivable in Canada.
And so, seated on the airplane at the end of my Canada vacation, I noticed the flight attendant checking seat belts and closing overhead bins was clutching her cup of Tim Hortons. Odd. Wouldn’t you need both hands to do that job? Not in that moment. A bin wouldn’t close as she wrestled with a piece of over-sized luggage one-handed. She was not forfeiting her Tim Hortons for a lousy carry-on. Rather, a passenger unbuckled, popped up and jammed the suitcase further back to close the bin. Job done.
To be fair, a cup of coffee eclipses reason for many people. The cult following of Starbucks is equally or more so matched at Tim Hortons. I conclude that it’s “the moment” that coffee lovers must have. The U.S. and Canada clearly have cultivated a coffee culture.
That culture goes beyond Starbucks and Tim Hortons. An independent coffee shop can be just as compelling. And it’s not just the coffee takeaway; it’s the experience inside the shop—the smell, the comfy seats, the feeling of comradery, the topic of conversation. This “third place” experience between home and work can be just as motivating to the restaurateur as to the patron.
And so, I encourage chefs who are passionate about coffee to consider trading the fine-dining restaurant in for an independent coffeehouse. Build it and they will come. Include a small, thoughtful menu based on the location, the clientele and the time of day you anticipate the most business. Put yourself in charge of “the moment” in your area.
For a more thorough treatise on this idea, go to the right under “my articles” and click on “Brew Your Ideals,” an article I wrote for the October 2011 issue of National Culinary Review magazine. Then let me know what you think.
Jody
Comments