Canadian coffee chain Tim Hortons opened the doors to its new Altrincham restaurant today – with a 13-year-old winning a year’s supply of coffee by being first in the queue.
Oliver Leng had queued in the rain, sleet and snow since 5.30am to ensure he was the first to enter the Cross Street store – and management gave him the honour of cutting the ribbon. A further 100 received a free breakfast.
Oliver, who also queued up for the opening of Tim Hortons’ new Sale restaurant two days ago, said: “I do like Tim Hortons but to be honest it’s more the free coffee for the year.”
Watch the opening here:
Tim Hortons is the dominant coffee brand in Canada, claiming to sell eight out of every 10 cups of coffee sold in the country.
Earlier this year it announced its intention to open its first UK coffee shops, bringing its “signature coffee, delicious food and Canadian charm” to Glasgow, Manchester, Cardiff and Belfast.
And in October it was confirmed that the $3billion-turnover chain had selected the unit next door to Nando’s – remembered fondly by many locals as the former home of Pizza Hut before it vacated the site in 2009 – as its Altrincham location. Its new Sale outlet opened two days ago.
Tim Hortons was founded in 1964 by its namesake (Miles “Tim” Horton), a professional ice hockey player who wanted to create cafes where everyone would feel at home.
Best known for its coffee and donuts, the chain sells a wide range of breakfasts, sandwiches, salads and wraps, soups and snacks.
The company’s arrival means that after almost a decade of boarded-up inactivity for this part of the town centre, the building has now attracted two global brands after the arrival of Nando’s in July.
Take a look inside the new Altrincham Tim Hortons:
