A coffee restaurant with the same owner as Burger King is planning to open in Florida
A Canadian coffee chain could be coming to Florida soon.
Tim Hortons is planning a return to the state after a three-decade absence. If the company follows through, the only Tim Hortons in Florida — for now — would be on the state’s Gulf Coast.
In the 1980s and ‘90s, Tim Hortons had locations in northern Broward County. In the past year, the chain also has had discussions about opening in Hollywood in South Broward.
Tim Hortons specializes in coffee and doughnuts, including doughnut holes called Timbits. The restaurant also serves sandwiches.
While a Canadian staple —think Dunkin’ Donuts of the Great White North — the chain has locations in 15 states, reaching as far as south as Georgia and Texas.
3G Capital, under its Restaurant Brands International name, has owned Tim Hortons since 2014. The parent company also owns Popeyes, Firehouse Subs and Miami-based Burger King.
Here’s what to know about the coffee-and-doughnut chain’s Florida plans and history:
Where would Tim Hortons open in Florida?
▪ Location: Preliminary paperwork was filed with Manatee County to bring Tim Hortons to Ellenton, a suburb near Bradenton. Ellentown is best known for its big outlet mall hugging Interstate 75.
▪ Size: According to records, the proposal is to build a 1,700-square-foot Tim Hortons across the street from the Acapulco Tropical y Mas plaza.
Tim Hortons history
Founding: The chain was founded in 1964 by Toronto Maple Leafs hockey plaer Tim Horton and business partner Jim Charade in Hamilton, Ontario, as Tim Horton Do-nut.
Menu and branding: Over the years the chain — which serves coffee, doughnuts, sweet nuggets called Timbits, sandwiches, wraps and chicken strips — tinkered with its branding, adding and then losing an apostrophe, as well as the “Donuts” in its name.
Locations: Loyal customers are known to call Tim Hortons by its nicknames — Timmie’s or Tim’s. Timmie’s is Canada’s largest quick-service restaurant chain, with more than 5,300 restaurants in 15 countries, including more than 600 outlets in the U.S. in New York, Michigan and Ohio, according to data company Scrape Hero as of June 30, 2022.
Coffee: People elsewhere may think, “Oh, Tim’s is like our Dunkin’ Donuts?” In a sense, yes. Like Dunkin’ Donuts and Starbucks, Tim Hortons’ bagged coffee or K-Cup pods can be purchased at grocers nationwide including Publix, Winn-Dixie, Target, Walmart and others.
Namesake: Horton played 24 seasons for the National Hockey League, from 1949 until his death at age 44 in a 1974 car crash.
