In September of 2014, McDonald’s announced it would begin selling Tim Hortons coffee in its restaurants across the United States. This move was seen as a direct competitor to Tim Hortons, as McDonald’s is a much larger restaurant chain with more locations.
Tim Hortons responded by stating that it would not sell coffee in McDonald’s restaurants.
Did McDonald’s steal Tim Hortons coffee? This is a difficult question to answer. From a business standpoint, it makes sense for McDonald’s to start selling Tim Hortons coffee. The two chains are direct competitors, and by selling coffee in its restaurants, McDonald’s can gain a larger share of the coffee market. However, from a culinary standpoint, it seems like McDonald’s took elements of Tim Hortons’ menu and replaced them with its own products.
For example, the McChicken sandwich at McDonald’s is made with chicken instead of chicken wings, and the Big Mac is made with beef instead of ground pork. This change may have been motivated by the fact that Tim Hortons is a much larger chain than McDonald’s and is able to charge more for its products. In the end, it is hard to say whether or not McDonald’s stole Tim Hortons coffee.
