Tim Hortons is stepping up its push into Manhattan’s coffee wars by taking over a dozen Dunkin’ Donuts outlets that were involved in a legal squabble because of unsanitary conditions — including a doughnut-eating mouse that made national headlines several years ago.
The Dunkin’ stores are set to close permanently today and be reopened as Tim Hortons as soon as Monday.
As reported by the Financial Post last week, Tim Hortons already had plans to open three stores in the Big Apple, including a location at Times Square, as part of a co-branding effort with U. S. ice-cream chain Cold Stone Creamery.
The stores mark the iconic Canadian coffee-and-doughnut chain’s first foray into the highly competitive New York City market.
The additional Dunkin’ locations will give the company a better chance at wooing New Yorkers, who already have streets brimming with coffee options including Starbucks, Dunkin’ and McDonald’s, with its heavily hyped espresso drinks. More.