Canadian-born coffee and doughnut titan Tim Hortons and its restaurant owners are investing $400 million in new builds and renovations to existing locations this year.
The 2026 undertakings include 60 owners building 80 new restaurants, while 280 current owners will be renovating 400 locations across Canada.
In a breakdown, individual location owners are investing a collective $270 million, with Tim Hortons corporate investing an additional $130 million.
Across Canada, there are 1,500 Tim Hortons restaurant owners who both own and operate 4,000 locations. The 340 owners undertaking new builds or renovations are doing so with their own money.
“Every dollar of these investments stays close to home. Building and renovating restaurants across the country creates meaningful, ongoing work for local and regional tradespeople – electricians, plumbers, carpenters, masons, painters, tilers, mechanical companies, roofers, general contractors and more – in communities across every province,” a news release from Tim Hortons’ Oakville head office reads.
It also states renovation and construction material for Tim Hortons restaurants are sourced through Canadian-owned businesses, with most items manufactured on Canadian soil. Their custom restaurant furniture is handcrafted in Montréal from 100 per cent Canadian-sourced maple. As well, all signs are designed, fabricated and installed by Canadian suppliers.
Key objectives and goals of the projects include better lighting, layouts and design to serve guests more accurately and quicker.
The provinces with the most projects scheduled are, Ontario, with 26 new builds and 188 renovations, Alberta, with 17 new builds and 49 renovations, and Quebec, with 14 new builds and 51 renovations.
“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,” said Axel Schwan, president of Tim Hortons in a statement. “These are Canadian families investing their own money in their own communities – and that’s something we’re proud of.”
It is reported some of the new locations have already opened and others are in the process of being renovated, with all projects expected to be complete this year.
Representatives at head office did not respond to requests asking who the main contractors or suppliers are, how they are selected or details on design and build specifications. Owners are presumably required to follow to adhere to the brand.
On the heels of the expansion announcement, Tim Hortons also launched a national campaign to hire 10,000 local team members, scaling back on utilizing the temporary foreign worker program. The chain turned to the federal program in the wake of COVID-19 due to a shortage of workers.
Tim Hortons opened its first location in Hamilton in 1964 and is now owned by Miami-based Restaurant Brands International.
