Tim Hortons double-doubling down on Canada as coffee-chain competition brews
Tomas Kauer 
Tim Hortons said Friday that its Canadian restaurant owners are footing a $270-million bill to build or renovate restaurants across the country, on top of an additional $130-million investment from the company.
The iconic coffee chain said the combined $400 million will be used to build or renovate 480 new and existing restaurants within the year.
Out of its 1,500 restaurant owners who own and operate 4,000 locations across Canada, 280 are renovating 400 restaurants and 60 are building 80 new restaurants.
“Tim Hortons was built in Canada by Canadians, and we are proud to continue investing in Canada to give our guests beautiful, modern restaurants to enjoy,” Axel Schwan, president of Tim Hortons, said in a press release. “These are Canadian families investing their own money in their own communities – and that’s something we’re proud of.”
The chain said renovation and construction material will be sourced through Canadian-owned businesses, with most items manufactured on Canadian soil, as “every dollar of these investments stays close to home.” For example, it said custom restaurant furniture is handcrafted in Montréal from 100 per cent Canadian-sourced maple.
It said 26 new restaurants will be built in Ontario, 17 in Alberta, 14 in Quebec, 8 in British Columbia, three each in Manitoba, New Brunswick and Saskatchewan, two each in Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia, and one each in the Northwest Territories and Prince Edward Islands.
Among the upgrades to renovated restaurants are better lighting, layouts and design, as well as improved digital ordering and pick-up, and upgraded kitchen equipment, it said.
The investment announcement comes just 10 days after Dunkin’ Donuts said it will be expanding into the Canadian market, with hundreds of stores set to open across the country at the end of the year and into 2027.
The return of Dunkin’ is heating up the fast coffee and baked goods market, long dominated by Tim Hortons, as well as McDonald’s.
While Tim Hortons has its roots in Canada, it became something of a dual citizen after merging with Burger King in 2014, and is now a subsidiary of Restaurant Brands International Inc., a global holding company with operations around the world.
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