Tim Hortons

Tim Hortons (written without an apostrophe) is the most popular coffee and doughnut chain in Canada. It is most famous for its coffee, and is also well known for its doughnuts and especially its Timbits (doughnut holes). The stores also sell a selection of soups and sandwiches. Most outlets have drive-throughs. Many people regard the chain as an integral part of Canadian culture, and references to it abound in popular culture.

There are so many Tim Hortons stores in some cities in Canada that it is said you can find one within 4 or 5 blocks no matter where you are. In Halifax, Nova Scotia, there is one intersection that has a Tim Hortons store on 3 of its 4 corners. Moncton, New Brunswick is said to have the highest number of Tim Horton's locations per capita, with over 35 stores serving a metropolitan population of 120,000. The chain has also expanded aggressively into small towns, some with only a few hundred people. There are over 2,350 outlets in Canada and over 220 in the United States; specifically, in New York, Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. The business was founded by Tim Horton, who played in the National Hockey League from 1949 and continuing after the opening of the first store in 1964, in Hamilton, Ontario, until his untimely death in a car accident in 1974. His original partner, Ron Joyce, was the primary builder of the chain, and bought out Horton's family several years after Horton's death. The TDL group now operates the Tim Hortons franchise from its head office in Oakville, Ontario. In 1995, the TDL group merged with the American fast-food giant, Wendy's International Inc.

In the movie Wayne's World, the doughnut shop they hang out at is called Stan Mikita's. This is an inside joke to Canadians because Mike Myers was obviously using the name of another hockey player to make a reference to Tim Hortons.

Roll up the Rim to Win is a contest held every year between March and May, it has over twenty million Tim Hortons prizes. The advertising for the contest has become very popular, with the phrase "R-r-roll up the r-r-im to win" (with the R's rolled like in the French language) becoming a well-known Canadian phrase. One commercial for the promotion became quite popular. It was set at the U.S./Canada border and featured people being allowed into Canada just by having said the phrase, although one unlucky man didn't get the phrase quite right and was not allowed to pass. As a result, people crossing the border would often imitate the dialogue of the commercial when asked for their passport, much to the annoyance of border security.

Tim Hortons also serves sandwiches and soups including the famous Bread Bowl.

Tim Hortons' slogans are "Always Fresh" and "You've Always Got Time For Tim Hortons".

Tim Hortons is also known as a home away from home because many people have meetings there. Some Tim Hortons stores are shaped like houses.

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