Who Owns Tim Hortons in 2026? Ownership, History and Store Count

Who owns Tim Hortons is one of the most argued about questions in Canada, and the answer is more interesting than either side of the debate usually admits. Tims started in 1964 as a single donut shop in Hamilton, Ontario, which is where Tim Hortons was founded, was owned by an American burger chain for more than a decade, became an independent public company, and is now part of a global restaurant group listed in both Toronto and New York.

I went through the official Tim Hortons pages, the parent company’s latest results and reporting from CBC to put the real answer in one place. Below you will find who owns Tims today, how the ownership changed over the years, who founded it, how many restaurants there are in Canada, the U.S. and the world, and whether it is still a Canadian company.

Who Owns Tim Hortons Now?

Tim Hortons is owned by Restaurant Brands International, usually shortened to RBI. RBI is a publicly traded company whose shares trade on both the Toronto Stock Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange, and it also owns Burger King, Popeyes and Firehouse Subs. Tim Hortons has been part of RBI since December 15, 2014.

RBI is not owned by one person or one country. Its largest shareholder has been 3G Capital, a Brazilian American investment firm, but 3G’s share of the voting power has dropped from 47 per cent at the 2014 merger to 26 per cent by the end of 2024, according to CBC. Canadian banks and Canadian institutional investors such as the CPP Investment Board, combined, hold roughly as much as 3G does, and U.S. funds like Capital World Investors and Pershing Square hold smaller stakes.

Tim Hortons at a Glance

Tim Hortons Ownership Facts

These are the quick answers to the ownership questions people search most. The table gives the key points at a glance before the full story.

Tim Hortons Company Facts

This table covers where Tims came from and who runs it today.

Tim Hortons Size Facts

This table shows how big Tims has become around the world.

Tim Hortons Ownership Timeline

Here is the history of Tim Hortons in one table, from the first shop to who now owns Tim Hortons today.

Who Is the Founder of Tim Hortons?

The origin of Tim Hortons goes back to one man. The Tim Hortons founder was Tim Horton, a defenceman who played in the NHL from 1949 until his death in 1974 and won four Stanley Cups with the Toronto Maple Leafs. His first restaurant in North Bay actually sold hamburgers, but the donut shop that became the chain opened on May 17, 1964, at Ottawa Street North in Hamilton, Ontario, under the name Tim Horton Donuts.

Horton started the donut business with Jim Charade, who is listed as a co founder but left the company in 1966. The person who really built the chain was Ron Joyce, a Nova Scotia born former Hamilton police officer. Joyce took over the first shop in 1965 and became Horton’s full partner in 1967. After Horton was killed in a car crash in 1974, Joyce paid $1 million for the Horton family’s stake and took sole control of what was then a 40 store chain. He then expanded it aggressively, and the 500th store opened in 1991.

That is also the answer to a common question: how much did Lori Horton, Tim’s widow, sell Tim Hortons for? Ron Joyce paid $1 million for the family’s stake, a price that looks tiny next to what the company is worth today.

Tim Hortons History: From Wendy’s to Burger King

The Tim Hortons company history took its biggest turns after the founders. In 1995 Wendy’s International bought Tims after a successful test of combined Wendy’s and Tim Hortons restaurants in Prince Edward Island. Many Canadians saw it as an icon being sold to an American company, and the debate about whether Tims is “really” Canadian started then.

Wendy’s eventually let Tims go. The chain went public on March 24, 2006, at CA$27 a share, and Wendy’s spun off its remaining 82 per cent to its own shareholders later that year. In 2009 Tims reorganized as a Canadian public company.

In August 2014, Burger King agreed to merge with Tim Hortons in a deal worth US$11.4 billion. The two chains became sister companies under a new parent, Restaurant Brands International, which began trading on December 15, 2014. To approve the deal, the federal government required the two chains to stay separate, keep significant jobs at the Canadian head office, and have Canadians make up at least half of the Tim Hortons board.

Is Tim Hortons Canadian Owned?

This is the heart of the debate, and the honest answer is that it depends on what you count.

The case that it is Canadian. Tim Hortons is run from its head office in Toronto, and RBI is incorporated and regulated under the Canada Business Corporations Act. About 64 per cent of all Tims restaurants are in Canada, and the more than 1,500 restaurant owners in Canada are Canadians who live in the communities they serve. Most of the coffee is roasted at Tims’ flagship roastery in Ancaster, Ontario, fillings and icings are made at a plant in Oakville, and the company says it has invested more than $150 million in Canadian distribution centres and manufacturing plants. The coffee beans themselves come from farmers in growing regions like Colombia and Guatemala. When CBC asked a Saint Mary’s University finance professor whether Tims is Canadian, his answer as an economist was yes.

The case that it is not. RBI is a multinational company, and its largest shareholder is 3G Capital. A McGill University strategy professor told MTL Blog that a company owned largely by foreign investors is no longer Canadian in the way it once was, and that where decisions are made matters most. Many large shareholders are American funds, and the company answers to global investors rather than to Canada alone.

My view: the company that owns the brand is multinational, but the restaurants you walk into in Canada are owned and run by Canadians. That is why both sides of the argument keep finding evidence for their point.

Tim Hortons Ownership Myths vs Facts

How Many Tim Hortons Are There?

In the world. If you are wondering how many Tim Hortons are in the world, there are 6,043 Tim Hortons restaurants worldwide, according to CBC’s 2025 reporting. After Canada, the countries with the most locations are China, the U.S., Saudi Arabia and Mexico.

In Canada. So how many Tim Hortons in Canada? Tim Hortons says there are more than 4,000 restaurants in Canada, which matches CBC’s figure that about 64 per cent of all Tims restaurants are Canadian. Tims is Canada’s largest quick service restaurant chain. Exact counts for individual cities like Toronto, Calgary or Saskatoon change often, so the Tims app store finder is the best way to see what is near you.

In the United States. For how many Tim Hortons in USA locations, location data cited in early 2025 put the number at about 659 Tim Hortons restaurants in the U.S. A March 2024 count showed most of them in three states: New York with about 249, Michigan with about 200 and Ohio with about 133. Tims first tried the U.S. in Florida in 1981, returned with a store in Tonawanda, New York, in 1984, and has more recently expanded into Texas.

Who Owns Tim Hortons in India and Other Countries?

Outside North America, Tims grows mostly through master franchise partners. In India and the Gulf countries, the partner is Dubai based Apparel Group. The first Indian restaurants opened in New Delhi and Gurugram on August 11, 2022, and by October 2023 Apparel Group was running 22 stores in India and 285 across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait. In Pakistan, the first locations opened in Lahore in February 2023. In every case the brand still belongs to RBI, while the local partner owns and runs the restaurants.

Who Is the CEO of Tim Hortons?

When people search for the CEO of Tim Hortons, the answer has two parts. Josh Kobza is the chief executive officer of Restaurant Brands International, the parent company of Tim Hortons, and J. Patrick Doyle is RBI’s executive chairman. The Tim Hortons brand itself is led by its president, Axel Schwan.

What Is Tim Hortons Known For?

Tims is known for its Original Blend coffee, the Double Double, donuts and Timbits, and for being part of everyday life in Canada. Its classic slogan was “Always Fresh. Always Tim Hortons,” a line many Canadians still remember. It is also known for Roll Up the Rim to Win, which started in 1986, and for its community programs. According to the official Tim Hortons site, the company and its owners provide more than $60 million a year to organizations and communities across Canada, and CBC reported $44.1 million raised through its charity campaigns in 2024.

If you want to see what Tims sells today, start with the Tim Hortons coffee menu, the Tim Hortons donuts menu and the Tim Hortons Timbits menu, or browse the complete Tim Hortons menu.

Tim Hortons Camp Day 2026

Camp Day is the biggest fundraiser of the year for Tims. In 2026 it took place on July 15, when 100 per cent of the purchase price, excluding taxes, of every hot and iced coffee sold at Tims in Canada and the U.S. went to Tim Hortons Foundation Camps. The foundation, started by Ron Joyce, helps young people from low income homes through camp and youth development programs. Since 1991, Camp Day has raised more than $190 million, and nearly 350,000 young people have been supported over the foundation’s history.

Tim Hortons Competitors

The main competitors of Tim Hortons are familiar names. In Canada, Tims competes most directly with McDonald’s McCafé, Starbucks, A&W and Second Cup for coffee and breakfast, and with local cafés in every town. Its biggest advantage is reach: with thousands of restaurants across the country, there is almost always a Tims nearby.

Final Thoughts

So, who owns Tim Hortons? Restaurant Brands International does, a multinational company listed in Toronto and New York, whose largest shareholder, 3G Capital, holds about a quarter of the voting power. The brand was founded in Hamilton in 1964 by Tim Horton and Jim Charade, built by Ron Joyce, owned by Wendy’s for a decade, and has been part of RBI since 2014. Whether you call it Canadian depends on whether you look at the shareholders or at the restaurants down the street, which are run by Canadian owners and their teams. Store hours are set by each restaurant owner, so check my Tim Hortons hours guide before you visit.

Jordan Ellis

Hi, I’m Jordan. I started this site because finding current Tim Hortons prices online was harder than it should be, and most menu pages I came across were years out of date. I check prices against the official Tim Hortons app and website, and I keep every page updated whenever prices, sizes, or items change. If something doesn’t match what you’re seeing at your local store, message me through the contact page, and I’ll look into it.