Canadian fast food institution Tim Hortons to open first London restaurant and drive-thru

Canadian coffee and doughnut institution Tim Hortons has announced plans to open its first restaurant in London later this year, complete with a drive-thru.

The multinational fast food chain is set to open at Royale Leisure Park in west London, with space for 100 diners, offering breakfast, lunch and dinner options.

The company, which was founded in Ontario in 1964 by Canadian hockey player Tim Horton, is the North American version of Costa.

The retailer is most famous for its bestselling Timbits - bite-sized morsels of their bestselling doughnuts, in flavours such as apple fritter, honey dip and chocolate glazed - crispy chicken sandwich, and the double double.

A double double is a coffee containing two creams and two sugars - double the regular amount.

Delivery options will also be available once its doors have opened, although an exact date has not yet been confirmed.

The company first arrived in the UK in 2017 and now has 51 outposts throughout the UK, with flagship stores in Manchester, Birmingham, Belfast and Leicester.

Known as “Timmie’s” across Canada, the chain now has almost 5,000 restaurants around the world, including the Middle East and Asia.

The brand has been criticised for its use of single-use plastic, however, with Tim Hortons containers accounting for 11 per cent of branded plastic waste collected by Greenpeace Canada in 2019.

Kevin Hydes, chief commercial officer of Tim Hortons in the UK, said: “It feels like now is the right time to make our move into the capital and Park Royal offers a great drive-thru and dine-in location for our guests, with travellers able to come from across London to enjoy their Tim Hortons fix.

“We pride ourselves on our quality and value offering and know our versatile menu will be hugely popular to Londoners.”

He added: “This is just the start of our inception into London, and we cannot wait to share further details in the coming months.”