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Hortons goes heavy: Lasagna now on the menu

18.05.12

Tim Hortons discovered recently that lasagna to Canadians is a comfort food, much like hot chocolate, hearty soups, doughnuts or a steaming cup of coffee.

Far be it from the king of comfort food to ignore that opportunity.

So Monday, Tim Hortons launched lasagna — a beef lasagna casserole to be precise — on its menu.

“We’ve done a lot of research on this, there is a real love of lasagna,” said Donna Finelli, director of brand marketing, food, for Tim Hortons. “It was a natural fit with Tim Hortons’ style of hot bowls of soup and chili.”

Brian Yarbrough, a retail analyst with Edward Jones, said, “It’s a way to differentiate them from everyone else and they’re only second to McDonald’s in Canada in the lunch market.”

It comes at a crucial time as the quick service restaurant industry struggles to grow in a weak economy.

In fact, a second-quarter outlook report this year by the Canadian Restaurant and Food Service Association found restaurant owners worried about the impact of the economy’s dampening effect on sales just when they are feeling pressure to raise prices due to rising food and labour costs.

Source: Hamilton Spectator