Our friend from Washington State visited Canada.

We used to live in Calgary, and a friend from Washington came to visit. We tried to do a few things that were iconically Canadian to give her a bit of Canuck-culture. One experience on the list was to take her to a hockey game in the Calgary Saddledome.

Due to the hockey lockout at that time, the Flames weren’t getting any ice time, but we caught the WHL Calgary Hitmen take the Kootenay Ice with a 4-1 victory. Add a couple of centre-ice scraps, and we all had a great time!

Another Canadian icon is Tim Horton’s.

We tried to get in as many Tim-stops as possible during her stay. One of which was going to be during the first intermission of the hockey game. I took everyone’s coffee orders and made my way to the main concourse, to get in line. Much to my dismay, I could not find the Tim’s anywhere!

Finally, I gave up and I asked a stadium customer service rep. I was shocked to hear Tim’s was no longer in the Saddledome. It turns out that over a year prior, the Saddledome was pushing Tim Horton’s to raise their prices to obtain higher stadium revenue. With the customer in mind, Tim Horton’s wouldn’t have it.

A customer service win if I ever heard one!

Tim Horton’s desired to have pricing consistency at every location, regardless of where that location is based. Lo and behold, the Saddledome tried to play hardball in negotiating and Tim Horton’s wasn’t playing. They didn’t need to be in the Saddledome if it meant stiffing their customers, so they left.

So what’s in their place? I managed to find and experience a slow-paced Good Earth Cafe serving up over-priced, mediocre coffee; to dozens of customers who are reminiscing about the good old Tim days.

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Why must customer service and coffee shops go hand in hand?