Tim Horton’s Adds Order Status Displays, LED Halo To Stores

July 10, 2023 by Dave Haynes

The Canadian coffee chain Tim Horton’s was an early adopter of digital menu displays, rolling them out across Canada and elsewhere long before many of its competitors. And it now appears to be making the welcomed addition of order status screens in busy stores.

An industry friend sent me a photo of Timmy’s in Bancroft, ON, which is in Ontario’s famed cottage country, north of Toronto. It shows a portrait-mounted display that lists the order number and provided name of customers – with the top portion doing “Now Serving” notifications of completed orders.

There is also a soft rectangle halo LED screen that locates the order pickup area, as well as what a different friend years ago called Food Porn.

I think the LED halo is more about bling than functionality, but it is yet another indication that LED displays have been mainstreamed as product options.

The Order Status board and integration is a great advance for any busy QSR. While there are still a lot of Canadians who go in to a Tim’s to get a coffee and donut and would get those quickly, the coffee chain has steadily added more involved menu items like fancy coffees, breakfast sandwiches and wraps. And it now has mobile order-ahead capabilities.

There are still lots of coffee and fast food operations that rely on customers crowding around a pick-up counter, and straining to hear their name or completed order number hollered by store staff. I THINK this is new to Tim’s, but I can’t find any PR details. The underlying tech is STRATACACHE.

I’m in a Tim’s maybe once a year … maybe. I don’t follow hockey. Don’t like snow and cold. And don’t drink double-doubles. I’m lucky they let back into Canada this weekend!