Man queues all night to be cafe’s first customer
A MAN who queued from midnight for the opening of Wales’ first branch of Tim Hortons has been rewarded with free coffee for a year.
Sebastian Robbins, 26, started queuing outside the coffee shop on Queen Street, Cardiff, in the early hours of yesterday to ensure he was the first in the line.
Mr Robbins, who’s from Bridgend but lives in the capital, had never actually had a Tim Hortons coffee before but has family in Canada and has heard a lot about the brand.
He said: “I took a selfie and then sent it to the Facebook page to show that I was here. I’ve got family in Canada so I’ve heard about Tim Hortons a lot but I’ve never actually tried it myself and then I heard there was a year’s supply of free coffee and I couldn’t miss an opportunity.”
He said a couple of women did join him in the early hours – but he thinks they might have underestimated the cold, or been “half-cut”, and they left after 10 minutes.
People were seen queuing down Queen Street yesterday morning for the opening and free breakfasts were given to the first 100 customers through the door.
The branch is in the building formerly occupied by Foot Locker, and a second unit is expected to open by the end of the year on Working Street.
Kevin Hydes, chief finance and commercial officer for Tim Hortons in the UK, said many more venues are anticipated for the future.
Tim Hortons was founded in Canada by its namesake, a professional ice hockey player, who wanted to create a space where everyone would feel at home. It is said that more than 5.3 million Canadians, approximately 15% of the population, visit the café daily.
Across Great Britain, Tim Hortons will offer an extensive and varied menu of drinks, which include Tim Hortons signature coffee, espressobased beverages, hot chocolate, French Vanilla and classic frozen Iced Cappdrink, as well as baked goods, breakfast and lunch items made from quality ingredients.
Visitors can also enjoy to Tim Hortons’ signature Timbits, bite-sized doughnuts in a variety of flavours.
Speaking ahead of the opening in Cardiff, Mr Hydes said: “When we decided to bring the business to the UK we spent a lot of time thinking about places to bring the brand to, and quite honestly we were looking at places that matched some of the spirit and the community that has been successful for Tim Hortons in Canada. There were a number of places that felt a much closer affinity to that, Cardiff being one of them.”
He added: “We wanted to ensure, that to be successful, we were taking the brand to places we felt people had the most affinity and the most excitement for the brand. What has given us confidence is that once we have made those announcements the ripple effect we have seen through social media, the support we have received and the appreciation has been overwhelming.”