Canadian coffee franchise Tim Hortons is coming to the Austin area, with the first shop set to open in Round Rock as early as the end of the year.
"Tim Hortons is meant to be the every person’s place to go — whether it's for coffee, other beverages, baked goods, breakfast," Ryan Ferranti, Tim Hortons’ director of franchising, said.
Construction is set to begin in June. Ferranti said the goal is to open at least 10 stores around Austin in the next five years.
Tim Hortons will provide coffee at the Canada House at SXSW next week to let Austinites know it's coming soon.
The shops in Austin will be franchises, which means individual business owners will buy the right to open them. The extent of the expansion will depend on the number of franchisees recruited.
Ferranti said the most important thing for the company is having the right partners.
"Having somebody that actually knows and lives in the territory, who’s ingrained in that community, is another facet that we think is extremely important,” he said.
More than 630 stores operate in the U.S. with most located in New York, Ohio and Michigan. Currently, there are four Tim Hortons in Texas – three in Houston and one in Katy. Ferranti said Texas is a priority market for the company.
