Canadian Institution Tim Hortons Takes Manhattan

Up in Canada, we've got a few traditions you Yanks lack. These include: marginalizing natives to the point of irreversible alcoholism, beating baby seals over the head with wooden bats, and free health care. We've also got a fast food chain much like Dunkin Donuts, but instead of pink branding and greasy cheese sandwiches, ours has homestyle warmth, and a menu peppered with comforting soups and hearty sandwiches. It's called Tim Hortons -- it's a symbol of national pride, a cultural fixture, and it's coming to New York.

Tim Hortons is one of Canada’s most recognizable brands. It’s where the country goes to replenish after a brisk afternoon out on the rink. There are currently about 500 locations in the U.S., but they’re mostly in might-as-well-be Canadian cities like Buffalo and Detroit. This August, Tim Hortons will open three co-branded stores with Cold Stone Creamery, including at their flagship store in Times Square. The late writer Pierre Breton called Hortons “a story of success and tragedy, of big dreams and small towns, of old-fashioned values and tough-fisted business, of hard work and of hockey.” Here is a short primer for New Yorkers on some key bits of knowledge about our sacred chain:

Timbits: Tim Hortons trademark treat. Billed as the center of the doughnut after it’s hollowed out by other chains, these are so ubiquitous in Canuck culture that even when they’re not bought at Tim Hortons, we still call them timbits. Flavors include sour cream glazed, cherry stick, chocolate, jelly-filled, “dutchie,” honey dip, and apple fritter.

Roll Up the Rim to Win: Another entry into the Canadian lexicon. Our most well-known promotion. Usually around springtime, customers can unroll the rims of their coffee cups to see if they’ve won anything from a car to a TV. I’ve never won anything, nor has anyone I know, but it’s apparently possible.

Ice Cap: A beloved colloquialism for their iced cappuccino, which is unlike any other. It’s frothy and malty, and like McDonald’s fries, hasn’t really been replicated anywhere else. Also like McDonald’s fries, it’s calorie city.

Double-double: A coffee with two creams and two sugars, and a member of the Canadian Oxford Dictionary. The base on which the Tim Hortons empire is built on.

Tim Horton: A legendary defenceman for the Toronto Maple Leafs for 18 seasons, and apparently a pretty good businessman too.