Pour It Forward: Canada Shares the Love at Tim Hortons

Growing up in Canada, I never really understood the passion for Tim Hortons. The fast-food chain, co-founded by a hockey player who died while driving drunk in 1974, fronts its ads with a black cup of coffee. It never boasted the hip appeal of Starbucks or the wacky donut selection of Dunkin’ Donuts. And yet the chain has more than 3,000 coffee shops north of the border. On a per-capita basis, that’s more than double the number that McDonald’s boasts in the U.S.

A recent trip to Canada gave me a fresh appreciation for Timmy’s: the sugary Timbits, the iconic mugs, the family-sized cannisters of powdered cappuccino, the warm soup, and—yes—the coffee. And now comes news of something else: a “Random Cups of Kindness” campaign that prompted Winnipeg customers to pay each other’s coffee tabs for 228 orders in a row over a three-hour period before Christmas.