Tim Hortons is pushing back against the Dunkin' Donuts announcement it will be entering the Canadian market — by opening 80 new locations, but things may not be quite what they seem. Tim Hortons is spending $400 million from both restaurant owners as well as the franchise itself — to build 80 new locations and renovate over 400 locations.What's not mentioned is "how many locations have quietly closed in recent years," pointed out the Food Professor, or Sylvain Charlebois, who runs an agri-food lab at Dalhousie University, on X. "Expansion numbers only tell part of the story.".In the last few years, as reported by Allegra World Coffee Portal, in 2022 Tim Hortons opened a whopping 300 locations internationally, while closing 50 domestic locations.In 2023, the coffee chain increased its international footprint by 21% while closing eight stores in Canada between the 2022 to 2023 period. That year it only opened eight new outlets in the US compared to its huge growth outside of North America — with 227 new stores outside of the continent. The Globe and Mail reports in 2025 there were 54 openings in Canada and 37 location closings. .The news has gone viral online, with people reacting on X and questioning whether the franchise will hire Canadian workers — since it has made a reputation for mostly hiring temporary foreign workers in the past.A Conservative MP for Calgary Nose Hill, Michelle Rempel Garner wrote on X reacting to the news with a meme questioning whether the franchise will be hiring Canadians.Ontario will be getting the most new locations, with 26 new locations and 188 renovated.Alberta will be receiving 18 new locations and 49 renovated ones, while BC will receive only eight new locations and 43 renovated locations. Dunkin' Donuts plans to open locations in Canada late this year to early 2027.
