Seongsu flagship doubles as a testbed for Tim Hortons Korea's vision, from exclusive menus to cabin interiors
A red canoe rests by a lake, a wooden bridge leads to the door and cabin booths fill the wood-paneled interior. What appears to be a Rocky Mountain resort is, in fact, Tim Hortons’ first international flagship, in Seoul’s Seongsu-dong.
Banff Town Seongsu, slated to open Tuesday, recreates its namesake, a mountain resort town long beloved by Korean travelers, to make the brand’s presence in Korea more Canadian than ever, down to the props shipped from Canada.
"We've opened many stores to meet customers, but that alone wasn’t enough,” An Tae-yeol, chief business officer at Tim Hortons’ Korean operator BKR, said at a media briefing Thursday. "We wanted to show the Tim Hortons experience more clearly, from food for every part of the day to warm spaces and kind hospitality.”
Tim Hortons has run small themed shops in China and Toronto, but Seongsu marks its first true international flagship, an unconventional space whose cozy layout comes at a price.
"This layout hurts sales, with low turnover and long stays," An said. "But for now, how customers see Tim Hortons matters far more than profit."
The design turns each visit into a traveler’s day in Banff, with guests wandering among mountain-town shops and cabin seats. The rooftop recreates snowy summits, and a souvenir nook stocks Canadian maple syrup and cookies.
No trip to Canada, nor to Tim Hortons, is complete without the food.
Half of the roughly 100 menu items are exclusive to Seongsu, from a Quebec-style breakfast poutine to pasta and madeleines. The star is a Montreal-style bagel, honey-boiled and wood-fired for a crisp, chewy bite. Coffee gets equal care. A brewing bar serves three blends found only here, alongside the regular brew.
"Flagship stores are usually stunning and glamorous," An noted. "Instead of flaunting that, we wanted a place where people could linger comfortably, and good coffee, good food and good company could come together."
The flagship marks the culmination of a busy year. Back in January, Tim Hortons Korea mapped out a plan to adapt its menus to Korean tastes, bring Canadian heritage to life through design and grow its presence in prime shopping districts.
Seongsu, home to Korea’s trendiest crowds and unforgiving to brands without real appeal, serves as a laboratory as much as a showroom.
"This isn’t a place that shows a finished result," Ah said. "We will keep testing and refining new menus, spaces and experiences based on customer response, and gradually bring the ones customers love to our regular stores."
minmin@heraldcorp.com
