team member

baker

shift manager

customer service representative

assistant manager

Tim Hortons

Tim Hortons is a pretty dope place to work and my current manager is pretty good at what he does. A typical day fro me is from 10:00 am to about 5:00 or 5:30 pm in the afternoon. In the morning once you come in its pretty much right to work atleast it is for me. I either gather the trash or start doing the dishes and if not those I join the food line, the drink station or the register to help things flow into the lunch rush. It is very busy in the early mornings which is where you can choose to get extra hours in my case because Im mainly in the afternoon. We have to a read a screen in both beverage and food stations letting us know how to prepare the food and the total orders usually including a sandwich, chips, and drink.  The chips can be swtiched with a donut or muffin or even cookies. Drinks range from hot coffee and tea to soft drinks like pepsi and sierra mist. Sandwiches very greatly along with bowls of salad that customers can purchase as well parfaits and various bottled drinks. The associate at the register takes the customers order and the drinks are sent there station and the food theres as well. After all the rush there's a lot of clean up from the front doors of the store the microwave, each drink and food station as well the case where the donuts, cookies and muffins are placed. They are all to be cleaned then the floor is swept and mopped. Then that pretty much repeats the next day. It can be very challenging the depending on the customers you have as well as the people who are working alongside you to get the orders made. Even though it is as collaborative effort some people in the job may not be as cooperative others as well the customer. The culture is very fast, often very funny and weird, but also very normal, almost expected when working in a sort of fast food restaurant. I will say the pace of everything is often the hardest part of the job and remembering all of the mandatory rules and things that need to get done before leaving for the day but  once managed and in the routine it becomes pretty easy. I enjoy how much fun a lot of the coworkers can be when things aren't to busy. The customers sometimes participate in the bit of fun conversation we have while serving them. It really can be a lot of fun and the challenge of the pace and doing all of what is necessary is apart of the job so I enjoy it.

While my early professional years show that I spent a good deal of time in the classroom at the college level, I’ve been fortunate enough to enjoy the last fifteen years in the food service industry re-formatting my teaching skills to accommodate the more urgently-paced environment found in the fast food industry. 

The lessons remain the same.  As an Associate Professor of English, I learned quickly that in order to achieve any degree of success I had to connect with my students on a human level to gain their trust as I led them through the demands of academic scholarship.   Teaching the intricacies of written communication required me to teach critical thinking, which involved showing students how to ask questions and explore alternative perspectives.  It was important for students to maintain their identity, but just as important for them to recognize that their audience had a choice to listen to what they had to say.

 As a Tim Horton’s Franchisee, I was faced with similar challenges while “educating” my employees.  I had to reach beyond the “This is the way we do things” mentality and encourage my managers and team members to think for themselves in a variety of situations—whether handling a customer complaint or dealing with no call/no show or discovering a shortage of coffee on a delivery.  During our monthly meetings, we addressed one challenge at a time.  And I could see a transformation in their faces.  As they found “voice,” they also recognized the need for taking responsibility in addressing the needs of the various audiences.

At times I can be a tough leader, but I’ve learned over the years to be flexible without surrendering quality and high standards.  Finding common goals, I believe, is essential to creating an environment that promotes interactive relationships between customers, franchisees, employees, and vendors.  I understand the need to be attentive to the P&L and to incorporate “systems” in order to achieve efficiently-run restaurants.  I also know the importance of cleanliness and organization.  These are the things I teach, the goals, the mandates.  But it still comes down to people working with people.

Reflecting on these elements, here's a thoughtful take:

A Typical Day at Work
A typical day as a Business Development Manager involves a mix of strategy and hands-on work. I usually begin by reviewing client contracts, exploring new business leads, and analyzing metrics to see how well current projects align with company goals. I often find myself meeting with clients, pitching solutions, and working closely with teams to ensure our services align with client needs.

What I Believe I Learned
I've learned a lot about the intricacies of client relationships and the importance of adapting to their evolving needs. This role has refined my strategic thinking, sharpened my communication skills, and strengthened my understanding of contract management. Beyond the technical aspects, I've developed a better grasp of leadership, resilience, and problem-solving under tight deadlines.

Management
Management here is both goal-oriented and supportive. They give us autonomy to lead our projects, but are available when guidance is needed. This level of support and encouragement is invaluable, especially in roles that require high levels of responsibility and client engagement.

Workplace Culture
The culture is collaborative and inclusive, emphasizing innovation and continuous improvement. There’s a shared drive to exceed client expectations and make an impact in the industry. Everyone here is committed to staying updated with new technology trends and learning from each other’s expertise.

The Hardest Part of the Job
The most challenging aspect of the role is balancing client demands with operational capacity, especially when clients require quick turnarounds or custom solutions. Managing expectations while ensuring that quality standards are upheld can be tough, especially under tight deadlines.

The Most Enjoyable Part of the Job
The best part of the job is closing deals and witnessing the positive impact of our solutions on clients’ businesses. It’s rewarding to see how our work can empower them to achieve their goals. Additionally, the collaborative nature of the job and the chance to work with innovative technology keep things exciting and dynamic.






.

You'll never truly know just exactly what you'll be doing for the day until you arrive for your shift, some find it exciting, I say it's unreliable. A lot of what you learn is going to be "hands on". There are tutorial videos and step-by-step instruction guides required for you to learn before you work on the floor, but you'll find yourself having to learn how exactly to do something from someone else who is more familiar on how to use whatever model of said machine, which will most likely be a completely different model of machine than a different location not too far away. Management, just like the employees, are generally nice and often help one another out if possible. But will ultimately screw you over if it happens to inconvenience them to help you or push chores and certain jobs onto someone else just so they can leave early. Though they are still friendly, they more often than not will outright deny you the ability to try and work for more money and will push off pay raises for as long as they can (i.e. when you should've gotten a raise to the "new minimum wage" but it's been 3 months into the new year already and you're still getting paid last year's minimum and you're just now speaking up about it). The hardest part of the job is easily being stuck on the night shifts serving customers. Though it is considered to be more peaceful throughout the night, and thus less customers as a whole, it is heavily outweighed by the fact that you are doing the equivalent of an entire team's worth of work by yourself all night long and will often be stuck having to serve the beginning hours of the "morning rush" by yourself since there's literally only you and the baker at the store. One person. Until 6am. Handling and serving every single order. And if the baker is too busy to help, you are left to serve customers all by yourself and expected to keep up a fast-paced performance until the morning crew clocks in to take over. On the other side of the job, the most enjoyable part would have to be the midnight silence of no customers for almost one solid hour where you can recoup and play your own music until the morning.

When I first walk into work I smile and greet everyone! I then check the schedule to see who is coming in and who is leaving. I take a look around the store to see what needs to be done and make a list of duties for everyone. I always make sure everyone is comfortable with their duties for the day so that the environment stays at ease. 

My shifts typically began at 3pm and ended at 11:30pm. At 3 O' clock I make sure all donuts and other bake goods are fresh for my shift. I also make sure everything is stocked and prepared for my shift within 30 minutes. At 5'oclock, we throw out breakfast. At 6:30pm we clean the donut glazer and bake table. At 7pm all dishes and equipment gets clean. Tim Horton's has a low customer volume during the night while the Coldstone has a high customer volume at night. By 10:30 the entire store is clean.

Since I am a second shift supervisor, I must prepare all food and beverages for first shift. Between 5-7 sandwich prep and also bake prep must be done. 

The few things left to do count the daily waste, put away the counter drawers--which can only be done at 11 when the store closes-- and finish up the dishes. Everything is complete by 11:15.

The atmosphere must always be friendly and fun because we want our customers to enjoy being in our store. The best part of the job is serving ice cream because we have all kinds of flavors and tons of mix-ins! It's fun to help make the perfect ice-cream for the customers by helping them choose their ice-cream and mix-ins. 

The hardest part of the job is faking a smile. When I smile at someone I do it intentionally and not just because it's the right thing to do. Every customer deserves a good experience when they come to us and they deserve to leave more satisfied than when they came in. The difficult part is maintaining a genuine demeanor when you haven't been having a good day.

Typical work day: depends on the role you play at your location and shift. If you're on morning shift, your main focus is time management and order accuracy. Afternoon shifts are more about prep and restock (if you're busier, time management might also be on your plate).

What I've learned: Management gets a LOT of flack and disrespect from corporate AND their crew. I've supported sooooo many managers and it's heartbreaking to see what they have to go through and sacrifice just to make sure their store runs smoothly....and at most times without any sort of thank you. I also learned that if you decide to go into management, be prepared to pay for a therapist because your mental health will absolutely be tested....sometimes daily! 

Management: It depends on literally who you work with and for. All of the managers I supported for the most part were kind and hardworking. I did have a few managers I've bumped heads with over theft and work drama. Otherwise, I loved the GM's I've supported over the years. The VP, past President and one of 3 owners I've met were very nice people. Serious folks though.

Workplace culture: ummmm so again, it depends on where you work and who you work with. I've been to every store in my current district. All of the stores I've been to have a tight nit group. It's interesting to see how each level within a store works with and around each other. The current store I work with is pretty laid back. 

The hardest part of the job: work life balance as a parent due to low staff. Being able to fully support management and battle location stigmas placed by customers and corporate.

The most enjoyable part of the job: Seeing regular customers continue to support you and follow you store to store in continued support. Knowing my presence brings staff and customers alike joy.

Bearable when you are working with staff you enjoy, any other time it’s just miserable. From getting yelled at by customers because they don’t like a rule you’re expected to enforce to getting yelled at by management because going through drive thru takes too long - which largely is out of employees’ control when customers don’t bother to prepare their payment method or sit at the window for upwards of a minute after receiving their order. 
Working at Tim Horton’s, I’ve never felt a situation more fitting to the phrase “don’t shoot the messenger;” 
“This is pathetic, you guys never have any donuts” - yes, our bakers have been instructed not to bake anything past a certain time to ‘prevent waste’ (a reasonable enough idea. Considering our Tim Hortons is 24/7 and we run out of baked goods by 6 pm, however… is unjustifiable). 
The real killer for me was - as a student when I first began working at Tim Hortons X, I wanted to be a helpful part of the world in some way or another. Having to apologize to hundreds of children for not being able to give them their sprinkle donut was not at all what I signed up for. Having to see so many employees have mental breakdowns mid-shift because of the stress - again, was not why I decided to make this place my first ever job. 
Do I recommend working at this place? 
- if there are 0 other options in your town then… go ahead I guess. I just hope you have more reasonable managers at your store.
Do I regret working at Tim Hortons?
- meh. I made many connections in my time there that turned into long lasting friendships. I also learned many skills and made a decent amount of money. Though, these upsides could be found at any job so… 
No I don’t necessarily *regret* working at Tim Hortons, but I could have made more money - easier, at many other places. The only thing that kept me there for a year was my co workers. 

A typical day at work consist of running around working multiple stations, helping people fix orders, and trying to get the customers out in the required Tim Hortons guidelines. It is a very fast pace job and it is a high stress level. Working here for so long has taught me how to be able to multitask at just about anything, how to handle rude or irate customers, how to problem solve on the spot, that not everyone is going to leave happy even if you try to do everything for them, and you can't take everything that is said to you personally because sometimes people just need to get their frustration out and you become the target. Management has shown me that there is a lot that goes into running a store. It takes a lot to make sure there is proper staffing, the product order is accurate, scheduling has to be done properly to be sure that shifts are not going to be shorthanded for the rushes that will happen just, and people look to you for all the answers on everything. My co-workers are the main reason I want to show up to work every day. They give 110% everyday and do their best to get everything done that needs to be or has to be done during their shifts. Without them my store would completely fall apart and not be able to function. The absolute hardest part of a job is having to talk to an employee about their performance and sometimes it ultimately resulting in having to terminate their employment. It's hard to tell someone that they are not efficient enough to do the job that needs to be done. The most enjoyable part of the job is seeing the regulars and how happy they are that you already know their order and have it ready before they even get all the way into the restaurant.

If you are a determined and self motivated person then this job can be very gratifying.  Reliability is important in order to succeed here and working as a "team player" is a must.  Given a strong group of team members the day can fly by with every thing done in a timely manner and all things in order.
However, what I've learned working in the fast food industry for the past year and a half is that things fluctuate frequently and can change rapidly throughout the day, on a day to day, weekly or even monthly basis.  The constant up and downs within the company can often times be exhausting, but great hospitality is always most important so keeping your game face on is extremely important.  Aside from the occasional hic-ups, I think the hardest part of my job is realizing that sometimes no matter how hard you try or what your intentions are for the day, you've got to go with the flow and maybe everything you'd planned on accomplishing is going to have to wait for a later date.
Im a very methodical person and my determination I believe is key to my current and previous successes.  Its balancing a continuous flow of prioritizing and time management that I feel I've really come to master not only here, but in my past employment opportunities as well.  This job has really helped me focus on my customer service skills and the ability to manage, and evaluate others in order to help with the individuals success within the company, and the companies success itself.

I worked as a Shift Supervisor at Tim Hortons for 6 years, and I feel it is important to share my experience with the working conditions. My time as a shift supervisor was marked by a consistently chaotic and stressful working environment.

One of the primary challenges I faced was the constant understaffing issue. It seemed like there was a perpetual shortage of employees, which meant that the existing staff, especially the supervisors, were forced to juggle multiple tasks simultaneously. This not only increased the workload but also made it difficult to maintain the quality of service. I often found myself overwhelmed, trying to manage both the front and back of the house operations without adequate support.

Moreover, the lack of proper training for new hires added to the chaos. The high turnover rate meant that there was a continuous influx of inexperienced employees who required immediate training. As a shift supervisor, I often found myself spending a significant portion of my time training new staff members, which took away from my ability to efficiently carry out managerial responsibilities.

The communication within the team and between shifts was another major issue. Important information often got lost in the shuffle, leading to misunderstandings and mistakes. This lack of effective communication only added to the overall stress of the job.

There was a constant push to maximize efficiency, sometimes at the expense of employee well-being. Breaks were often non-existent, and the expectation to work overtime without proper compensation further exacerbated the stress levels.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Team member 171 salaries reported	$14.88 per hour
Baker 123 salaries reported	$16.06 per hour
Shift manager 53 salaries reported	$16.18 per hour
Customer service representative 227 salaries reported	$16.32 per hour
Assistant manager 68 salaries reported	$34,000 per year

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