6 Things You Should Always Do At Tim Hortons When Ordering, According To An Employee

Order food before drinks

Beck said that you should always order food before drinks.

"As soon as you order it, we're starting to make it," she said.

So, if you order your Double Double before your breakfast sandwich, your coffee will be sitting there getting cold while your food is being made.

The same goes for espresso-based beverages like lattes and cappuccinos. Those should be ordered before brewed coffees along with food items.

Go into the store for big orders

While Beck didn't say that you can't do big orders at the drive-thru, going inside instead is something you can do to save time.

Going into the location and up to the counter instead of going to the drive-thru can help save other drivers time too, since they won't have to idle in line behind you as you wait at the pickup window for your big order to be made and handed to you.

Order only what you want in your drink

A way you can help employees and help yourself is only ordering what you want in your drink.

If you don't want sugar in your coffee but do want milk, don't even say that you don't want sugar.

"Just order a medium two milk," Beck said. "We don't hear the 'no,' we hear 'sugar.'"

If you order "two milk no sugar" there is a chance that you'll get sugar in your coffee, especially at the drive-thru since it's harder to hear.

Screenshot your Tims Rewards code

Beck said that the Tims Rewards app requires Wi-Fi or data to work and some people have a hard time connecting to the internet or their data is not working when they're at a location.

They end up wasting time at the counter or drive-thru trying to get it to work.

"What I suggest is when you [have] Wi-Fi or have your data working, when that barcode is brought up, screenshot it," she said.

That way you can pull it up in your photos app and get your card scanned even if you're not connected to the internet.

"If you're just trying to scan and get points and go quick, just have a screenshot," Beck said.

Keep track of when your rewards points expire

Another tip about what to do when you order at Tims has to do with Tims Rewards points.

"They do expire after a year," Beck said. "So you want to make sure that you're keeping track of these points and how much time goes by."

She's had people come up and ask to use their points only to see that they've disappeared because they expired. Knowing when your points are going to expire before you order or pay can be a big help.

Have your cards ready

Something you should always remember to do when ordering is to have your cards ready, whether it be your payment card or your Tims Rewards card.

"You're waiting in the line, get your money ready," Beck said. "That could be a whole minute that you saved."

If you're at the drive-thru or in the store and there are five people lined up behind you, doing this can save five minutes.

Another thing that helps is unplugging your phone from your car if your cards are on your phone. Beck said to do this because it's difficult for employees to lean into your car and scan your phone when it's plugged in.