Tim Hortons' '60s restaurant replica

Tim Hortons' '60s restaurant replica
Celebrating its 50th birthday in style – retro style, that is - Tim Hortons, the ultimate purveyor of coffee and donuts in Canada and the US, constructed a replica of the first ever Tim Hortons restaurant in the heart of Toronto. 
 
When devising this brand experience, the restaurant chain certainly pulled out all the stops; not only was the replica complete with original furnishings, but original members of staff from the '60s were invited back to serve up the delicious treats to customers, including to those who used to frequent the establishment 50 years ago.
 
I love that the brand experience wasn’t limited to just the restaurant; the donut purveyor took the experience out on to Toronto’s Yonge and Dundas square by constructing a fully-fledged vintage street scene from the '60s, complete with a newsstand, a five-cent telephone booth, beautiful antique cars, a nice bit of swing dancing and Motown music from brand ambassadors clad in retro wears - and of course, free coffee and donuts for everyone. 



Modern-day customers were treated to the delights of the original donuts such as the Éclair (a staple when Tim Hortons opened its doors 50 years ago), the Sugar Twist from the '70s and the Pecan Butter Tart from the '80s. 




Informing your customers about your brand’s history through brand experience is a great way of bringing them closer to the brand and making them feel they are part of something special. By having the original staff, original customers and the original recipes through the decades Tim Hortons paid a very impressive level of attention to detail with this brand experience. In doing so the brand demonstrated not only sheer dedication to its history but also its appreciation of its loyal customers.  
 
If you liked this, you’ll also like Cointreau’s Hotel Takeover which showcased the liqueur brand’s history to a new generation of young and fashionable influencers.

Joss Davidge is managing partner of BEcause, an award winning brand experience agency which has been helping brands become more tried, tested and talked about for over 20 years.
  
Read more from Joss in our Clubhouse.

 

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