Business

Columbus is getting the first Tim Hortons in the Southeast. Here’s what we know

Popular Canadian fast-food chain Tim Hortons will open a Columbus location later this year. It will be the first in the southeastern U.S.
Popular Canadian fast-food chain Tim Hortons will open a Columbus location later this year. It will be the first in the southeastern U.S. Courtesy of Tim Hortons

Popular Canadian fast-food chain Tim Hortons will open a Columbus location later this year — the company’s first restaurant in the southeastern U.S., metro Atlanta businessman and franchisee Abid Khutliwala told the Ledger-Enquirer.

The store will be located at 6741 Veterans Parkway, and Khutliwala said that he’ll also build a Popeyes on that plot of land.

Khutliwala is bringing the popular coffee and bakery franchise to Columbus because he has existing business ties in the city. He owns four Popeyes restaurants and two Checkers locations in the Columbus area.

The Columbus store will be the first of Tim Hortons’ planned expansion in the state. The chain wants to build 15 restaurants over the next five years, and four or five of those could be in the Columbus area. The remaining would likely be in the Atlanta area, Khutliwala said.

“I’m really expecting a lot of Canadians to drive to Columbus,” he said. “People are already messaging me ... and asking to let me know when it’s going to open.”

Several news outlets, including the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, reported on the chain’s planned Georgia expansion Tuesday.

Founded in 1964, Tim Hortons is Canada’s largest restaurant chain. It has more than 5,100 restaurants in Canada, the United States and around the world, according to a company press release.

Their menu includes various coffees, breakfast items, sandwiches, wraps, soups and more.

This story was originally published April 27, 2022 at 10:50 AM.

Nick Wooten
Columbus Ledger-Enquirer
Nick Wooten is the Accountability/Investigative reporter for the Ledger-Enquirer where he is responsible for covering several topics, including Georgia politics. His work may also appear in the Macon Telegraph. Nick was given the Georgia Press Association’s 2021 Emerging Journalist award for his coverage of elections, COVID-19 and Columbus’ LGBTQ+ community. Before joining McClatchy, he worked for The (Shreveport La.) Times covering city government and investigations. He is a graduate of Mercer University in Macon, Georgia.
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