Tim Hortons reintroduces dark roast coffee in effort to revitalize company

Tim Hortons is introducing dark roast coffee to its menu this week, the third time the chain has done so, in an effort to revitalize the chain among its core market, The Canadian press reports.

Tim Hortons has historically focused their services on offering donuts, coffee, and breakfasts, typically on a grab-and-go basis. The company has suffered in recent years, however, facing competition from chains such as McDonald's and Starbucks as Tim Hortons attempted to broadly expand their menu.

The financial troubles for Tim Hortons have been additionally compounded by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Much of the chain's business relied on commuters stopping for coffee and breakfast on their ways to work. As large numbers of Canadians began working from home during the pandemic, the chain lost a great deal of business.

Now the chain is returning to tradition, attempting to improve their market share by improving their breakfast menu, with industry experts arguing that bringing back the dark roast coffee will be the centrepiece of their revitalization plan.

"The breakfast market has been competitive for many years and having the right dark roast coffee is key," said Cyrus Cooper, a restaurant management professor at Centennial College in Toronto. "Tim Hortons needs to ensure its dark roast is competitive in flavour profile to win over customers from competitors like Starbucks and McDonald's."

"What we've noticed over the years is that guests are looking for a slightly bolder coffee," said Tim Hortons coffee operations director Kevin West. He acknowledged that there are challenges to such initiatives, however, noting that "coffee is naturally bitter, so to develop a coffee product that's bold and strong without bitterness is quite difficult."

West additionally noted that the temperature of the coffee was increased by one degree, a change he says is small but nevertheless makes a large difference in taste.

It reportedly took nearly 50 trials to get the right blend, West claimed. "It's a bolder, fuller and richer coffee."

Aside from bringing back dark roast coffee, the chain has also promised to include naturally smoked bacon and fresh eggs in their breakfast sandwiches, and to remove all artificial flavours and preservatives by the end of 2021.