Four decades of double-doubles
Well-loved employee will mark 40 years at Tim Hortons in St. John’s
Pansy Quinn, 57, will celebrate 40 years as an employee at Tim Hortons on Kenmount Road next week.
A cup of coffee cost 25 cents when Pansy Quinn started serving customers.
Four decades later, she has poured so many, she’s long since lost count.
“I wish I had known I’d be here this long, I would’ve made a list,” she said, laughing. “Quite a few, for sure.”
Quinn has the distinction of being the longest-serving employee to serve at a single Tim Hortons location in this province and is one of the longestserving at a single location in the country.
On Wednesday, she will celebrate 40 years working at the Kenmount Road outlet.
“I know, it’s hard to believe,” the 57-year-old said during an interview Thursday.
She said she’s glad she found a job that has been so personally fulfilling.
Quinn grew up in Triton, in the central part of the province, and came to St. John’s in March 1978 intent on taking a babysitting job.
“But I wasn’t too keen on that, to be honest,” said Quinn, whose sister had moved to the city ahead of her.
Before she could start the babysitting job, a friend told her about employment positions available at a new coffee shop — Tim Hortons. Located on Kenmount Road, next to Hickman Motors, it had been the first Tims to open in the province just five months before, on Oct. 22, 1977.
“I figured I might as well take a shot at it, so I did,” Quinn said.
It turned out to be one of the best decisions she has ever made.
“I love my job. I’m a people
person, so I love interacting with them,” she said. “I love making their mornings by making their coffees. … It’s so nice to see people, like the senior citizens, chatting with them. “I love making people’s day.” Quinn’s friendly personality has landed her a fixed spot serving customers at the counter.
“This is my station right here,” she said, pointing to the second register.
“I go (to the window for drivethru service) when they ask me to, but I love it here.”
Quinn has made many friends at the store over the years, and regular customers look for her each time they come in.
“If I have a day off, they’ll say, ‘Where’s Pansy? She OK?’ It’s so nice,” she said.
“I’ve definitely met lots of people. People who came in years ago with their parents as kids, they come back with their
own kids now.”
Quinn has been at Tims through plenty of changes over the decades.
“Oh, we didn’t have as much (on the menu) then as we do now. Back then, it was only coffee and doughnuts,” she said.
Just before she started, the company introduced Timbits to the menu. It served its first muffins and cookies in 1981. Croissants were introduced in 1983. In 1985, chili and soup were first served, while a year later, the chain’s first Rollup-the-rim contest began. In 1993, it launched sandwiches, and bagels were added to the menu in 1996, along with iced cappuccinos in 1999. Breakfast sandwiches were introduced in 2006.
The store moved to its new location just up Kenmount Road in 2007.
“A lot of people at first didn’t
think a coffee shop would work here in Newfoundland because Newfoundlanders weren’t really coffee drinkers,” said Quinn, who, like most Newfoundlanders of her generation, preferred tea.
“But now people love it.” Over the decades, she admits, there have been a few times she has thought about working somewhere else, but her love for her job and people quickly dismissed those thoughts.
Her coworkers certainly love her, too.
“They all call me Mother. Mother this, mother that,” Quinn said, laughing. “I consider them my children, my family.”
Owner Eric Chibler is proud to say Quinn has been the face of the Kenmount Road store for four decades.
“She’s put smiles on people’s faces every morning and afternoon for 40 years,” said Chibler, who has owned the store since 1999.
“It’s pretty special to have her here. We’re very fortunate. I can’t imagine not having her. Everywhere I go, no matter where I am in Newfoundland, people comment on Pansy and the service they get in the morning.”
Chibler said the store has lots planned to celebrate Quinn’s 40th anniversary.
To thank her for her years of service, the company is sending Quinn to Oakville, Ont., to tour corporate head office and the production facilities. She will also go to Hamilton for a tour of the first Tim Hortons store opened in Canada, in 1964, and will visit a Tim Hortons children’s camp. Quinn will also have lunch with company president Sami Siddiqui during her visit.
The Kenmount Road outlet will also have a weeklong celebration, beginning Monday. On Wednesday, Quinn will have a special table set aside for her to allow customers to chat with her. There will also be a huge cake for customers to enjoy.
“Certainly makes me feel important,” Quinn said, laughing. “I’m not used to all this attention.”
When asked if she will make the 50-year mark, she laughed and said, “If I can. Never say never.”
Quinn figures she has plenty of coffees yet to pour and smiles left to give before she retires.
“As long as my health carries me, I’ll be here as long as I can,” she said. “I’m still young and I’ve got lots of years left in me yet.”