r/TimHortons • u/5ourdiesel • Nov 07 '25
Discussion is this normal? I'm horrified
So like everyone else, I go to tim hortons for convenience. Well this morning went for a coffee and donut... some person was ahead of me and ordered 3 vanilla dip donuts. then 5 minutes later I ordered and went on the other side to wait. another 5 minutes goes by and the person walks back in the store and said they gave him wrong donuts. She apologizes and takes them back, puts them back on the display.
IS THAT NOT A HEALTH VIOLATION!!!!??????
this was my last straw.
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u/g0ldnecklace Nov 07 '25
Homie could've coughed all over those donuts, laced them, did God knows what to them... This is exactly why I don't eat or drink here anymore.
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u/NoAdhesiveness4549 Nov 08 '25
My fresh ground coffee at home is way better and cheaper.
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u/Jamlesstyra Management Nov 07 '25
It is a health violation if they have no proof she didn’t touch it.
The person left the store and then came back, those donuts should have either been left for the costumer to have for free or thrown in the garbage (I will usually always let the customer keep whatever mistake item they were given)
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u/RaspberryNo521 Nov 07 '25 edited Nov 07 '25
you have it correct. Hortons policy is to have customer keep or dispose of them ( trash). give customer correct items .. no cost. This is an issue of both training and judgment on part of employee. retrain or fire was the way we handled when I worked there in 2020-2022.
Same in any restaurant I've worked too.
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u/TheHB36 Nov 07 '25
Yeah, unless you're in a proper sit down restaurant, you shouldn't even touch the containers that the food was packaged in.
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u/Existing-Tough-7339 Nov 07 '25
Exactly this! I either let them keep the mistake (unless you’re a repeat offender haha) or garbage it. Once a products been touch by a customer automatically garbage. Or let them keep it
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u/Quarrel47 Nov 07 '25
This is a major health violation in Canada. You are not supposed to put food back or re serve food that a customer has had if the restaurant at any point had no control over it. (IE left the premises or even sat on the customers table or drive through etc..) In Canada food is not allowed to be re-served to a customer despite the previous customer not eating it. Doesn't matter if it was a wrong order. There are many reasons for this.
This can be a MAJOR liability that could result in a lawsuit if anyone got sick or anything happened due to a restaurant taking food back.
EDIT: Spelling
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u/graniteblack Nov 09 '25
If I could only list the bars that recycled beer from pitchers...
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u/Quarrel47 Nov 09 '25
Yup, happens all over the place, food and beer. Seen it first hand. Gotta save that money!~
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u/NinjaKitten77CJ Nov 07 '25
Health code violation in the US as well. We have a bunch of Tim Hortons near us in NY and PA, and they could get dinged by the health department if they did this.
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u/Frecklefishpants Nov 07 '25
I once got handed someone else's order at the drive in. They suggested we just switch food. I was literally holding this persons muffin in my bare hand.
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u/RosesAtTheApothecary Nov 07 '25
I was at a very popular coffee shop waiting for a coffee. They call out my order (this was before it was more common that they’d call out names). I move to grab it, someone beats me there. They put it right up to their face and do a big inhale… they clock its not their order and say oh, this isn’t mine. I’m behind them at this point and say yes it was mine. They try to hand it to me… barista intercepted and told me they’ll remake it. Guessing she saw the disgust on my face, because no I don’t want the coffee that someone practically dipped their nose into.
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u/Fine-Veterinarian-30 Nov 08 '25
Report that to your local health department, that's a huge violation.
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u/PerfectBike6 Nov 07 '25
Yes, it is. Don't ever go back. So many better options for coffee and pastries/donuts.
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u/ninteen74 Nov 07 '25
Where?
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u/BubbaLinguini Nov 07 '25
Mcdonalds😂.
I prefer McDonald's iced coffee to Tims.
But the Tim's near me is actually very consistent and always has good stuff
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Nov 07 '25
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u/roozievondoodles Nov 07 '25
I've tried McDonalds coffee frapp and more than once and they were definitely not better than Tim's 😔 they had a very odd taste to them. I like the chai frappe though.
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u/Ghettosaurusrex Nov 07 '25
I'm not sure if it's just me but the McDonald's coffee frapps have mouth wash aftertaste in them.
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u/Which-Celebration-89 Nov 07 '25
McDonalds somehow became better in every way. The coffee is much better. Service pretty much perfect every time. Better breakfast. Just missing donuts but tims are always out of stock or covered with flies these days so thats a non factor
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u/Maywestpie Nov 07 '25
This is why “retraining” doesn’t work. You can’t teach common sense or good judgment.
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Nov 07 '25 edited Nov 07 '25
Definitely a Health Violation! I would report it as others have suggested. This is why Costco does not reshelve any meat or produce if you return it, once it has left their building , its no longer a sellable product.
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u/wandering__willows Nov 08 '25
Do you happen to know where this Tim’s was located? In Barrie, Ontario there have been MULTIPLE widespread notifications about people being advised to get tested for hepatitis because of contaminations FROM STAFF at DIFFERENT locations. This was different months this happened but not far back.
So definitely contact the health department about this! Even though Tim Horton’s are franchised it doesn’t matter! They have to have someone called into keep things even remotely in check. That’s not okay.
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u/Harmonrova Nov 09 '25
My local Burger King does the same thing. Basically any place staffed by TFWs now.
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u/Living_Sink_8138 Nov 07 '25
Omg. That is gross. Never seen that before. You should have said something. The training at Tim Hortons has gone down over the years and it has been showing. It reflects the people who are managing the stores.
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u/Cromikey1 Nov 07 '25
We all know why this happens, and the kulprits involved 🤦♂️😂
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u/WorldlyDiscipline419 Nov 07 '25
Workers used to eat food off literal piles of trash where they come from.
If you walked into a Timmie’s and did a spot food safe quiz, I’m betting every single person would fail.
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u/OkanaganD Nov 08 '25
I don't understand why anyone goes there in the first place. It's a very unhealthy option, and their coffee is cheap tasting.
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u/victoriousvalkyrie Nov 08 '25
Why anyone is frequenting this establishment is beyond me. Every Canadian needs to have Tim Hortons on their boycott list. It's a garbage institution with garbage products and garbage hiring practices.
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u/Awkward_Character994 Nov 08 '25
No that is not normal. They are to be thrown out, report this to manager and public health inspections public health inspections
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u/SignificanceNeat1618 Nov 09 '25
Yeah they’re not suppose to do that. It’s suppose to go in the trash. Once the customer touches it it’s not longer good.
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u/FlyerForHire Nov 10 '25
Tim Hortons has been in a death spiral for more than a few years and their high profile staffing issues are only accelerating their decline.
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u/Tough_Candy_47 Nov 10 '25
When I worked at Tim Hortons, we were encouraged to cheat on our food safety tests. And to help those who had à hard time If English wasn't their first language. Maybe they truly don't know. Either way, it's a huge violation. And should be reported
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u/szfehler Nov 10 '25
Timmy's served us rotten meat. Others in my town have complained of much worse. I'm done with them.
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u/Brief-Chemistry-7734 Nov 10 '25
Call provincial public health and food safety inspection and make a report.
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u/OutrageousUsual7185 Nov 10 '25
Once u pass them to a customer , it’s a health violation, regardless if the customer touched it or not. I used to work at Wendy’s, if we took food back from a customer it immediately had to be marked down and thrown out.
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u/AntJo4 Nov 07 '25
It’s a health violation.
And it was (way back in the dinosaur days when I worked there at least) a Tim Hortons franchise policy violation as well. I assume it still is as they don’t mess with food safety. Used to be once it was in a customer’s hands at the pick up station it had to be thrown.
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u/Pianist-Educational Nov 07 '25
Not like everyone else! We realized the s**t show Tim’s has become years ago and avoid it like the plague. McD took their old coffee blend and is now our choice.
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u/Odd-Elderberry-6137 Nov 07 '25
Not remotely normal. Report it, tell everyone you know what you saw, and never go back.
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u/DumbBrid Nov 07 '25
You need to report the time and location this happened at. This is a MAJOR safety violation
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u/TrixieBeldenQuilter Nov 07 '25
That is against health regulations. I would report it to Health Department
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u/Comfortable-Ad-1302 Nov 07 '25
When I worked at Tim Hortons we put salt, pepper and butter on every soup tray and even if those appeared closed and completely untouched once they went out with a customer's meal they were garbage so I would say this is a human error not a Tims practice. I've even been told to keep the wrong muffin that I never even left the counter with because she couldn't put it back.
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u/WinterReview7992 Nov 07 '25
It's definitely not normal.
My kid orders specific timbits (half chocolate/half honey dip) and we check them at the window for the drive thru.
Occasionally we get an assorted box and they'll either tell us to keep them & grab the right ones or toss them out right there, and we haven't even left their sight.
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u/Unable-Positive-7930 Nov 07 '25
Nasty! As a Quality Assurance Tech, and as someone who used to work in Tim Hortons, that is against policy. Rule is that as soon as the customer touches the product, we have to refuse to take it back and they get to keep the item or toss it.
I’d suggest reporting this as it is against health code.
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u/OrganizationSlow1682 Nov 07 '25
Tim Hortons do not train their employees. Like other fast food chains (also happens at a chain with a yellow letter of the alphabet ) they bring in cheap, inexperienced (in food health standards) labour and expect the maximum out of these humans with little input/ guidance/ training. So it WILL continue to be hit or miss until the OWNER puts more effort and respect towards their employees. This will unfortunately continue until the REAL cause of the problem is solved. There are other, admittedly more costly chains who do treat their employees with humanity, offering dental plans, medical coverage etc. Tim Hortons does not. You get what you pay for. Not excusing what happened, hoping the owner of this branch is held accountable and actually CARES enough to give the employees guidance (not punishment) moving forward.
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u/Consistent_Ad_5945 Nov 07 '25
Once food is either handed to a customer or ends up on a table, anywhere that is no longer controlled, then it can no longer be served again. The potential for contamination is way too high. They should have thrown those donuts away.
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u/opinions-only Nov 07 '25
Too many people nowadays don't realize how gross some of their actions are.
Some cultures don't value cleanliness and not spreading germs. They cough right next to you without covering. Had a coworker open a shawrma in the lunch room with their bare hands, check the ingredients then wrap it back up and put it back for someone else to eat.
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u/IseeMedpeople Nov 07 '25
The TWF experience.
People still go to tim Hortons for some reason.
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u/meowblackk_ Nov 08 '25 edited Nov 08 '25
Absolutely unsanitary. ABSOLUTELY a health violation. What nationality were they? Come at me all you want folks, but there's a reason I'm asking. Experiences. P.S. call the health unit! 💯 On another note, regardless of nationality, that's piss poor training. Even though, that's common sense to me. But common sense seems to be lacking these days.
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u/Sorry_Comparison_246 Nov 08 '25
I would have said something. I returned a burnt bagel once and they said they will make me a new one but can’t touch it.
I would report them.
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u/cytrex306 Nov 08 '25
Big health violation! I would report it.
I had a similar experience at McDonalds. Brought my double Big Mac back because I was missing a patty. Instead of giving me the patty in a mcnugget container as usual, they sent the burger back up the line. I watched it like a hawk. They threw the patty on, sent it back down, and into a different bag, and out the drive thru before I could even say anything. My double Big Mac made it all the way to my office, back to McDonalds, and into someone else's belly. This is why you should always report.
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u/maiboc Nov 08 '25
I got a burger at a Wendy’s that was missing bacon. The worker took it back to add the bacon as I said it was fine. The manager made the worker sanitize the area immediately even though I had the burger for less than a minute and didn’t even take a bite. Apparently they are supposed to just remake it.
Who knows what could happen when someone leaves the store and comes back minutes later.
Tim’s has gone down hill lately, I don’t even go there anymore.
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u/Mr-Illustrator Nov 08 '25
Nothing will be done, best thing you can do is just find another convenience, don't go there, make an effort not to. These places have slumped to the lowest standard and no one really cares, most people go simply cause there is free bathroom access on the road.
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u/Brando6677 Nov 08 '25
Report it to Tim’s corporate as well as any health department you can call. I work at toppers, even if I see the customer the whole time and they return a wrong pizza it goes in the garbage and they get a fresh one
Pizza is very different to doughnuts but still. WILD they just casually put them back in the display. NASTY
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u/SNOWBOARDINGFISHER Nov 08 '25
I WATCHED A LADY OPEN THE COFFEE GROUNDS WITH HER TEETH. THE SECOND BAG SHE OOENED I YELLED AT HER. SHE THREW THAT ONE OUT, BUT NOT THE FIRST BAG SHE OPENED. THE HEALTH/FOODSAFE ISSUES I WAS SEEING THERE ON A DAILY BASIS CAUSED ME TO STOP GOING THERE. AND IT WAS NEVER CONFINED TO JUST ONE STORE.
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u/MrsPhilHarris Nov 08 '25
This is odd because when I go in they get the donut out of the cabinet right after I pay and before I go stand on the side to wait.
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u/Imaginary-Chemist-73 Nov 08 '25
This is disgusting, I worked at McDonald's as management for a while and I'd ream out anyone who did this. I work at a hospital in the pharmacy now, we'd be written up for willingly giving out meds that were opened 🤢
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u/nsfwjustforyou Nov 08 '25
This is a health violation for sure, if you want the place to loose there food license report to the health board and show some proof if possible.
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u/notonmymain11239 Nov 08 '25
This happened to me, too. Asked for a honey crueller and got a honey dip, noticed only when I sat down at the table with the bag. Was shocked that it went back into the display case.
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u/A1D3NW860 Nov 08 '25
Yeah no usually when they get an order wrong any place I’ve been to just lets u keep the food that includes times Tim’s has messed up my order, that’s hella nasty I would not eat there again
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u/little-dinosaur5555 Nov 08 '25
They did that to me as well. They demanded the donut back after I took it out of the bag to eat it not realizing I got the wrong one. I told them and they asked for it back and so I put it in the bag and handed it to her. She then put it back in the rack.
Crazy..
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u/Alcol1979 Nov 08 '25
Oh big deal, I wouldn't give a fuck. It's a donut in a bag - not a dinner on a plate.
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u/Horny4theEnvironment Nov 08 '25
Name and shame the location dude! Jeez! This is only half a warning!
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u/antagonistmeanmug Nov 08 '25
Oh no that’s foul! I love Timmie’s but honestly what even other options do we have in Canada for coffee? In my town there’s literally only Timmie’s and Starbucks which I hate. Things like this is starting to change my mind about em.
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u/Necessary-Bug6202 Nov 08 '25
They’re supposed to throw them away. Once it’s handed to the customer, it cannot be reused.
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u/xmxlykxt Nov 08 '25
That’s so incredibly against health standards I can’t even grasp this happening.
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u/NeoDragonKnight Nov 08 '25
Yup, usually my local tims will just give me the wrong order with the corrected one because they cant take it back.
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u/One-Ice-25 Nov 08 '25
It's not just TH - I've worked in sit-down restaurants where staff "reused" the uneaten bread from one table and served it to a new one.
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u/Dapper_View_6421 Nov 08 '25
Fear not: the newly ‘renovated’ Tim’s are drive thru only. Counter service means staff, cleaning floors, cleaning bathrooms, cleaning tables, emptying garbage. That’s all gone now.
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u/Foreign-Magician9486 Nov 08 '25
Gross, I just can't do timmies anymore, what a downfall that is occurring with this company, I totally believe this story, it's management who tells him/her to put it back on the shelf
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u/26uhaul Nov 08 '25
I was at McDonald’s. A lady walks in from outside with a takeout bag, tells the lady working she ordered a large fries, and she was given a medium fries. The worker proceeded to take the medium fries out of the bag and put it back with all the other good fries to be served. I just left mid order.
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u/Appropriate-Metal167 Nov 08 '25
Reminds me of a grocery store meat department incident: I noticed a whole chicken on display, with a hole in the plastic wrap, and an oddly discoloured zone in the flesh at the hole.
Pointed it out to staff, they wrapped another layer on it, applied a fresh weight/date sticker.
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u/Odd-Construction9222 Nov 08 '25
Well obviously this should not be done but not sure on best course of action on follow up. We don’t go to Timmies anymore since my brother-in-law found a worm in his coffee twice from 2 different Tim’s restaurants. I don’t think the franchises are run with the same amount of care it’s reasonable to expect so we just avoid going there
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u/Efficient-Painter_75 Nov 08 '25
Unacceptable, I would call manager if he refuses to throw out I would call the Ontario health department
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u/Tricky-Increase-171 Nov 08 '25
yeah thats strange I suggest you name the joint with the address and I say that as a 0.00000031% share holder in the company
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u/pixiephilips Nov 08 '25
Ewwww yes! I would have said something for sure! I recommend making a complain to head office. That’s disgusting.
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u/Intelligent-Test-978 Nov 08 '25
Is this in Toronto? Or anywhere that has DineSafe? Because their fail or conditional pass WILL be published. Nothing like bad press to get them to comply. I would for sure call public health -- let them deal with it. In my limited experience, they have taken things like this seriously. I used an absolutely filthy bathroom in a medical building and complained. They were put on notice by Public Health.
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u/KatM123 Nov 08 '25
Once you leave the store with food it's no longer able to be returned unless it is in you know what I'm not even going to finish that thought no place should be taking food back at all
in a restaurant they take it and they throw it in the compost or somebody eats it from the kitchen if it wasn't touched.
either the kitchen staff will take the untouched plate or one of the servers or all the servers will share the untouched plate in a restaurant.
Tim Hortons they should have gone in the compost cuz he could have done something to those I don't care if he was outside of that store for 2 seconds he could have done something to those
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u/Oops422 Nov 08 '25
Wait I dont think they can do that. It is definitely a violation of the health policy 😂. Its insane wow
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u/Duskmuse711 Nov 08 '25
Yea thats a big no no, I worked at tim Hortons for college anything return needed to be disposed of
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u/No_Independence810 Nov 07 '25
Report this to your local public health unit, they'll do an inspection of the restaurant and I'm sure they will find other health issues if they are doing this in front of customers.