Canadian coffee comes to Exeter

Tim Hortons has 4,500 branches there

Canadian coffee and fast-food chain Tim Hortons will open its first store in Exeter after planning permission was granted.

It will replace the former Chiquito Mexican restaurant at Alphington Park on the edge of Marsh Barton, which closed in 2020.

Tim Hortons is Canada’s largest restaurant chain, selling coffee and baked items as well as hot food such as burgers and breakfast muffins. It will join the existing KFC, Nando’s, Frankie & Benny’s and Starbucks branches at Alphington Park.

The existing building will be partially demolished to create a new drive-through lane and window, while there will also be a new outside seating area, changes to the car park layout and alterations to the unit’s façade.

Founded in 1964 and named after one of its co-founders, a former Canadian hockey player, Tim Hortons opened its first store in the UK in 2017 aiming to build on its huge popularity across the Atlantic.

There are over 4,500 branches in Canada, with the company claiming they are visited by more than 5.3 million Canadians daily (approximately 15 per cent of the population).

The firm’s planning application says its offer is “different from that provided by the likes of McDonalds, KFC and Burger King and is comparable to that provided by coffee shop operators such as Costa or Starbucks.”

It adds: “Tim Hortons also places great emphasis on the ambiance of its coffee shop / restaurant facilities, encouraging customers to dine in,” going on to say that only around 15 per cent of hot food sales are eaten off-site.

Exeter City Council planning officers approved the application, subject to two electric charging points and parking for eight bicycles being installed.

In their report, officers included how the branch is expected to provide around 50 full-time equivalent jobs, with it situated in an “established employment area.”