Coffee giant creates 40 new jobs with third NI shop

CANADIAN coffee giant Tim Horton is to open a new drivethru restaurant in Glengormley later this year, creating 40 jobs.

The jobs will be a combination of full-time and part-time opportunities with roles including shift managers and team members.

The Glengormley location will be the third Tim Hortons restaurant to open in Northern Ireland, and the second outside of Belfast city centre.

The two outlets in Belfast, one in Fountain Street, and a 24hour drive-thru at Connswater, opened in 2018.

The first outlet resulted in around 300 people queuing down Fountain Street for a taste of the chain’s coffee, while people also queued for the opening of the Connswater cafe.

Kevin Hydes, chief finance and commercial officer of the Tim

Hortons franchise in the UK, said: “When we opened our two Belfast restaurants last year, we were completely blown away by the excitement and the wonderful welcome from the local community.

“We are now thrilled to be opening our second drive-thru site in the heart of the town and can’t wait to open our doors.”

In November last year, SK Group, trading as Tim Hortons, proposed a £900,000 development at the former Isaac Agnew site in Riverside Retail Park in Coleraine after submitting plans to Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council.

The plan would see two new drive-thru outlets on the site next to McDonald’s, with 62 parking spaces, but it has yet to open.

Tim Hortons said it couldn’t comment on the plans at this time.

The Tim Hortons brand was founded by its namesake, a top professional ice hockey player, who wanted to “create a space where everyone would feel at home”.

Belfast Telegraph food critic Joris Minne said the speed of the spread of international coffee chains could soon see them dominate not only the cities, but smaller towns.

“The march of the coffee shops continues relentlessly but unexpectedly,” he said.