Beer, quinoa salads and new futuristic look coming to Tim Hortons? (VIDEO)

Sometime in the near future, you might be able to enjoy a pint of beer with a quinoa salad at your local Tim Hortons restaurant.

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This past week, a new full-scale conceptual store was unveiled during a convention at Toronto for the chain’s restaurant owners and suppliers. Straying away from the existing designs, it showcased a glass enclosed building with an red and white coloured brightly lit interior that featured glossed white counters, round tables and banquettes.

There will be an open view of the back kitchen to provide a customers of how the restaurant’s baked goods and doughnuts are made. Large televisions that could air live sports games, interactive touch screen displays on nutrition and the company’s charity work, and the implementation of unisex washrooms are also some of the standout highlights of the new restaurant design.

But the biggest changes revolved around a significantly expanded menu that includes a wide variety of side salads, more complex types of baked goods, and doughnut variations like tiramisu and black forest cake.

Pre-wrapped sandwiches, instead of having food prepared after an order has made, and packaged snacks with hummus, flat bread, cheese, veggie sticks and hard-boiled eggs could be highly beneficial for those who are on-the-go and can only afford quick stops.

The introduction of alcohol will likely be the biggest draw, but do not expect to see any hard liquor. Beers with a coffee or strawberry flavoured twist could be among the new offerings, although variations with liquor laws within each provincial jurisdiction could make these menu choices difficult to implement.

With 3,600 locations across Canada, Tim Hortons’ expansion options are limited and it instead needs to turn towards innovating itself in order to maintain its profit growth. It also faces fierce competition from McDonald’s Canada, which is also expanding its menu options and recently spent $1 billion revamping its 1,400 restaurants across the country.

Starbucks is also likely another competitor of concern. The Seattle-based coffee giant recently introduced a ‘Starbucks Evenings’ menu option at a handful of American locations as part of a pilot project before a full launch. The program’s offerings begin after 4 p.m. and consist of items such as bacon-wrapped dates, truffle mac and cheese, chicken and roasted tomato flatbread, chicken skewers, Chardonnay and chocolate fondue.

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