Their drive-through windows are always busy. Getting a coffee at Tim Horton's is a daily ritual for nearly everyone who commutes to work, or even those folk who just drive a few blocks. Even line-ups of a dozen cars or more won't deter these ardent coffee-seekers. I know several people personally who plan their travel routes to ensure that they pass by plenty of Tim's while on the road.
The chain began with a single shop in Hamilton, Ontario in 1964, and has grown into a national phenomenon with 2,200 outlets so far. The Tim Horton's chain has recently spread outside of Canada and there are now 160 coffee shops in the US. Hopefully, they will be as popular in the States as they are here.
So who is Tim Horton?
Yes, he is a real person. Since his name has become synonymous with coffee, not everyone knows that he had quite a history outside the beverage world. Tim Horton was a professional hockey player, and a very good one at that. How very Canadian, eh? Horton was born in Cochrane, Ontario in 1930. He grew up with hockey in northern Canada, and in 1949 he was signed to play with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Over the next 20 years, he would acquire many awards and accomplishments as a hockey player. Tim Horton died in a car accident in 1974, when his chain of donut shops had reached 40 stores. You can check out the Pro Hockey site for more on Tim's hockey career.
After Horton's death, the chain was taken over by his business partner Ron Joyce. The two men had been partners in the business since the first store opened in 1964.
It's a shame that he died before seeing his doughnut shop grow into a national icon.