Tim Hortons’ U.S. franchisees not happy
Tim Hortons’ U. S. franchisees are banding together to lobby for corporate- level changes at the coffee chain, which is owned by Restaurant Brands International Inc., the fast- food giant that also runs Burger King.
The move follows a simil ar Canadian alliance — dubbed the Great White North Franchisee Association — that formed in March. The Canadian franchisees filed a class- action suit this month, arguing that Restaurant Brands executives have breached their obligations to local branch operators.
“The stores are lacking profitability and the franchisees feel that Tim Hortons is not helping them,” said Robert M. Einhorn, an attorney at Zarco Einhorn Salkowski & Brito in Miami who is representing the U. S. alliance.
Like its Canadian counterpart, the U. S. group says Restaurant Brands has diverted ad funding to other purposes, intimidated store owners and hiked costs for key products such as coffee and bacon, the Great White North Franchisee Association said in a statement on Monday.
The U. S. group also says that the parent company’s restaurant inspections are unfair and “harassing.” “They keep changing the rules,” Einhorn said. “They f ail many of t he stores, which serves to demoralize the franchisees.”