A timeline of highs and lows for the beloved Canadian symbol.
By: Kaitlyn Stock
(Tyler Farmer/Unsplash)
Whether you live in the bustling city of Toronto or go east to Charlottetown, everyone in Canada knows the name Tim Hortons and its significance to Canadians.
While the words “double double,” “Timmy’s” and “Timbits” are present in most Canadians’ vocabulary, how much do you know about the company’s history?
Since 1964, this fast food restaurant has had its share of ups and downs, prompting Canadians to have mixed opinions about its hype.
1964:
Tim Hortons was established by Toronto Maple Leafs player Tim Horton, along with Montreal-born businessman Jim Charade, in April 1964. A long-lived desire for entering the restaurant industry and searching for a career to pursue outside of the NHL hockey season led Horton to open Tim Hortons. Its first location was located in Hamilton, Ont., and only doughnuts and coffee were on sale here.
Tim Horton in his Toronto Maple Leafs uniform. (Louis Jaques/Library and Archives Canada)
The very first Tim Hortons location in Hamilton, Ont. (Designecologist/Unsplash)
1966:
Jim Charade leaves the company due to personal financial difficulties. Hamilton police officer Ron Joyce became Horton’s new partner after buying out Lori Horton’s half in the company.
1974:
10 years after founding Tim Hortons, Tim Horton died on Feb. 21, 1974, at 44. He was involved in a single-vehicle car crash in St. Catharines, Ont., and an autopsy revealed that Horton had been drinking and driving. At the time of his death, Tim Horton had co-founded 35 stores across southern Ontario.
1975:
Joyce became the sole owner of the company.
1976:
Tim Hortons introduces into the menu Timbits, a bite-sized doughnut hole, also known as munchkins in the U.S.
A box of Timbits next to a Tim Hortons drink. (Conor Samuel/Unsplash)
Throughout the 1980s:
Tim Hortons adds muffins, cookies, soup and chili to its menu.
1984:
Tim Hortons expands into the United States, with its first location being located in Tonawanda, N.Y.
1986:
The “Roll Up The Rim” contest was introduced.
1987:
Lori Horton sued Joyce and the lawyer that represented her in the 1975 sale of Tim Hortons, claiming that she was mentally incompetent at the time of the sale due to her addiction to amphetamine and alcohol. Horton wanted her half of the company back for $10 million; however, her lawsuit failed in 1993.
1995:
Joyce sold Tim Hortons in a merger with Wendy’s, an American fast-food company.
1999:
The iconic Iced Capp, a blended iced coffee, is added to Tim Hortons’ menu.
2000:
Tim Hortons’ 2,000th restaurant opens in downtown Toronto.
2004:
“Double Double” makes its way into the Canadian Oxford dictionary.
2009:
Tim Hortons surpasses 3,000 stores in Canada, with 600 in the U.S.
The chain also had to defend its use of foreign labour over concerns about Canada’s temporary foreign worker programs. Despite being a Canadian brand, only a small number of Canadians were actually being employed by Tim Hortons.
2011:
Tim Hortons opened its first location in Dubai.
A Tim Hortons inside The Dubai Mall in Dubai, U.A.E., photographed in 2014. (Mostafameraji/Wikimedia Commons)
2012:
Tim Hortons was targeted by the Humane Society of America for getting its pork products from pigs raised in confining gestation crates.
2014:
Tim Hortons removed the short-lived Cold Stone Creamery from its locations after the idea failed to meet the company’s expectations.
A Tim Hortons-Cold Stone Creamery location on 42nd St. in New York City, photographed in 2013. (Hans-Jürgen Hübner/Wikimedia Commons)
Also in 2014, 3G Capital, a Brazilian private equity firm who also owns Burger King, gained ownership over Tim Hortons. Despite the company no longer being Canadian-owned, Tim Hortons’ reputation as a beloved Canadian fast-food chain didn’t seem to suffer.
2017:
Tim Hortons opens its first location in Spain, along with launching restaurants in the U.K., marking its expansion into Europe.
A Tim Hortons in Madrid, the capital of Spain, photographed in 2019. (Jon Kolbert/Wikimedia Commons)
2018:
After the minimum wage in Ontario increased to $14 per hour from $11.60, some Ontario Tim Hortons locations were discovered to be removing employee benefits, paid breaks and tips.
2019:
Tim Hortons opened its first restaurant in China.
A Tim Hortons inside Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station in China, photographed in 2021. (Shwangtianyuan/Wikimedia Commons)
2021:
According to Yahoo! Finance, Tim Hortons’ sales declined by 15.7 per cent in 2020. While this decrease could be excused by COVID-19 pandemic, I personally believe that the company has experienced a downfall since merging with Burger King and focusing less on its coffee and baked goods.
I have converted to McDonald’s coffee over the years. This is mainly due to Tim Hortons’ coffee being inconsistent with its taste, plus the fact that it’s no longer being supplied by family-owned tea and coffee company Mother Parker’s — who now supplies McDonald’s. I believe that Tim Hortons should stick to what it knows best — coffee and doughnuts, instead of attempting to compete with McDonald’s by putting burgers and sandwiches on its menu.
On TikTok, many Canadians have shared the same sentiment, expressing their concerns regarding Tim Hortons’ downfall and criticizing the company’s changes. One user expresses her displeasure with Tim Hortons’ current lids and how she misses the old ones:
@earlgrey.anxietea Miss you old Tim’s lids 🥲 #timhortons #canadiancheck ♬ original sound - teqfla
This is not the only TikTok posted about how people prefer old Tim Hortons' goods, suggesting its downfall over the years:
@maddy.lowe1 justice for maple French toast #thatsnotmyson #backintheday #fyp ♬ Karen sucks balls - Tik Toker
From removing some fan-favourite flavours to altering the presentation of its products, Tim Hortons has definitely changed since 1964 — for better or worse. Despite its transformation, however, the company will likely always have a major impact on Canada’s national identity to many.
