Life

5 myths about Tim Hortons

Where are the most franchises per capita? And how do Timmies customers tend to vote?

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1. The coffee has additives like nicotine to make it more addictive. This myth is so prevalent that the company’s website tackles it head-on: “Tim Hortons would like to clearly state that there is absolutely NO nicotine or MSG in our coffee.”

2. A muffin is healthier than a sugary doughnut. Guess again. Compared to a blueberry muffin, the decadent-sounding double chocolate doughnut has 1 g less fat (10 g) and just 75 per cent of the calories (250 kcals).

3. Tim Hortons customers vote Conservative. Not so. In 2010 the Globe and Mail analyzed the average number of Tim Hortons per riding. The NDP and Liberals tied for the most, with 11, while Tory ridings trailed with an average number of nine outlets.

4. The city with the most Tim Hortons per capita is Moncton. (Or is it Barrie? Ste. Catharines St. Catharines?) Widely believed, but inaccurate. An analysis by the Martin Prosperity Institute in 2011 found the city with the most Timmies for the population is Port Hope, Ont.

5. “Always Fresh.” Well, sort of. The doughnuts are partially baked at a central facility, “flash-frozen,” then trucked across the country to be reheated in-store. One executive has explained the freezing process “seals in the freshness.”

Source: Tim Hortons, Martin Prosperity Institute, news reports

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