Restaurant Brands plans $546-million coffee chain Tim Hortons makeover

NEW YORK — Burger King owner Restaurant Brands International, Inc. and its franchisees will spend C$700 million ($546 million) over four years to revamp coffee chain Tim Hortons, following a round of bad publicity over its management of the Canadian chain.

The revamp, unveiled by managers on a conference call with analysts on Tuesday, followed first-quarter results which suggested initiatives including cheaper meals and new breakfast options were bearing fruit at Burger King outlets.

Toronto-listed shares in the company rose 5% to C$72.36 in morning trading, while the US equivalent gained 4.8% to $56.08.

Politicians have criticized Hortons for its reaction to minimum wage increases in Ontario, while a group of franchisees has alleged Restaurant Brands is not keeping to the terms of a 2014 deal to buy the chain.

Hortons’ same- store sales fell for the eighth consecutive quarter in the first three months of the year, the company’s results showed.

“The environment’s competitive and the fact that there’s a ton of negative media created by this group of franchisees is also hurting guest perception,” Chief Executive Daniel Schwartz said on the post- earnings call.

Restaurant Brands said it would redesign Tim Hortons restaurants, focus on technology and introduce more lunch options at the chain.

The company, which expects to remodel most of Hortons outlets in Canada by 2021, did not disclose how it planned to split the cost with franchisees as they face rising competition from Starbucks and McDonald’s McCafe among others. —