I was watching the news from Detroit when an ad for Tim Hortons came up. I love that place, it is one of my favourite restaurants, as is the same for many people I know. There are 3000 locations located in this continent (most of course in Canada, and a few in the States as well), including one located just 100 or so yards from where I work. The ad pushed Iced Coffee (which, surprisingly enough, is not available in Canada, or at least where I live), but it also displayed another interesting item.
Tim Hortons made a website at 15millioncanadians.com. The name, of course, reflects the amount of people who visited the stores, and it also accounts for one-half of Canada's population. The site is geared toward American customers, though it can be seen by anyone, who are still unfamiliar with the restaurant, and the legend it carries.
Along with mentioning the products offered, and telling where the nearest store is, the site also talks about some of the bits of lore associated with Tim Hortons. Some of the stories include the distribution of the poppy "spy" quarter, the speculation of a super addictive, nicotine-like secret ingredient added into each coffee, the Rrrroll-up the rim trash-can DNA incident, and the longest drive-thru line ever.
There is also a photo gallery which includes several witty pictures, including one of a somewhat accurate scale replica of a Tim Hortons store, made of Lego®.
And in case you've forgotten, or you don't know, there is a biography of the professional hockey player who founded, and lent his name to, the greatest thing this country can offer, other than maple syrup and strong beer.
