Business

Too hot to handle? Not anymore

Tim Hortons rolls out a long overdue fix for its burning hot cups

The sight of groggy people gingerly holding their Tim Hortons drinks with a thumb and index finger so as not to burn themselves may soon be a thing of the past. The coffee chain is finally joining its competitors in offering sleeves for its hot beverage cups.

Tim Hortons is officially launching the sleeves in its franchises across Canada next week.

“We’ve heard through our restaurant owners from our guests that they had been asking for a sleeve,” Alexandra Cygal, a spokesperson for Tim Hortons, said. “We’ve considered this before… but the one we’ve chosen now uses less material and has tested better than ones we’ve tried before.”

Until now, Tim Hortons has been double-cupping beverages that are too hot to the touch, such as their specialty teas. The sleeve now replaces the double cup. The official policy is that only bagged tea drinks, which are a tad hotter than steeped tea or black brewed coffee, get the sleeve, but customers can request sleeves for any other hot beverage at no extra cost, Cygal said.

Alternatively, consumers can do as one poster suggested on an online discussion thread bemoaning the absence of sleeves at Tim Hortons: “A Real Canadian would simply drink their Timmies wearing their hockey gloves.”

As for Tim Hortons’ notoriously leaky lids that are still the subject of online rants: They are still being used.

Looking for more?

Get the Best of Maclean's sent straight to your inbox. Sign up for news, commentary and analysis.
  • By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.
FILED UNDER: