I think that may be the source of the discrepancy here

my assumption is that most of us who say that Tim's is shit are talking about 5+ years ago at minimum

I haven't gone to a Tim's except to piss in a decade now, with just enough exceptions (nothing else nearby) that I can still hold my opinion that the service and food is crap. I've probably gone once every other year due to lack of options, just to get a coffee and a sandwich, and it's been fucking terrible every time. the food, the coffee, the service, the experience. all of it