A Tim Hortons location in Dearborn on Ford Rd. west of Wyoming.

DEARBORN — With vehicles lined up around the newly opened Tim Hortons location near Dearborn’s Rail Station on Michigan Ave., tourists might assume it’s the sole venue the coffee and donut giant has opened in the vicinity.

But that assumption is far from the truth. Dearborn’s newest Tim Hortons is the seventh location in the city. What’s even more noteworthy is how rapidly the company has been establishing additional venues in the region. 

Tim Hortons Inc., founded in 1964 in Ontario, is regarded as Canada’s largest quick service restaurant chain. According to the latest figures, there are 3,665 locations in Canada, while there are 869 in the U.S. 

In recent years, the coffee and donut chain began gaining major traction in the Southeast Michigan region. Nearly all locations are franchised to business owners who must complete a seven week “Tim Hortons University” program in Ontario. 

In various markets, Tim Hortons is also often paired with other major chains, such as Wendy’s and Coldstone Creamery, to offer a 2-in-1 combination to customers under one roof. 

In Dearborn, the Tim Hortons takeover is indisputable. In the last two years, the city has doubled up on its Tim Hortons locations, which have been opening sporadically all over town. The latest locations are on Ford Rd., west of Wyoming; Warren and Wyoming and Michigan Ave. near Gulley Rd., on the west side of the city.

Less than a mile east of that location on Michigan Ave., the first Tim Hortons established in the city still thrives. Both of those locations are owned by Shannon and Scott Suryan. The first location had been the only Tim Hortons in Dearborn for many years after it opened in 2002.

The Suryans, a married couple, operate a total of six Tim Hortons locations in Dearborn, Dearborn Heights and Melvindale. 

Their third Dearborn location is on Greenfield Rd. near Rotunda, which also houses a Wendy’s, operated by a separate owner. 

The Suryans recently opened two new locations in Dearborn Heights, one at the corner of  Warren and Telegraph and the second in the south end of the city, on Telegraph between Michigan Ave. and Van Born. 

Shannon Suryan told The Arab American News that she became well invested in the Tim Hortons business after her mother initially owned and operated the original Michigan Ave. location in Dearborn.

“I just believed Tim Hortons had great products and it’s a great concept in that all the owners that I know get involved in the community,” Suryan said. “A part of being a Tim Hortons franchisee is being involved in the community. I myself am a graduate from Dearborn Public Schools. It’s important to us to be a part of this community.” 

For local Arab Americans in Dearborn and Dearborn Heights, the multiple Tim Hortons locations have become the go to spots for a quick caffeine fix. Tom Fakih, the owner-franchisee of the Tim Hortons/Coldstone location on Ford Rd., west of Wyoming, said that Tim Hortons coffee has become embedded in the local culture in recent years. The quality of the coffee is what turned him from a loyal customer into a franchisee. 

“I think it’s the quality and the boldness and the taste of the coffee,” Fakih said. “It might resemble memories of the coffee back at home. Lebanese and Arabic communities love strong, rich coffee. The people of Dearborn appreciate the convenience and the quality. It’s part of their daily life now. Instead of making the coffee at home, they come to Tim Hortons.”

Since opening his store last December, Fakih said there hasn’t been a dull moment. Customers flock to his location on a daily basis. His drive-thru can accommodate up to 20 cars at one time and a speedy staff is able to service up to 125 cars per hour with quality and accuracy. 

Suryan attributes a large part of the Tim Hortons demand to the environment that has been established at the multiple locations. Many of the local restaurants include large seating areas with free Wi-Fi, making it a hot commodity for college students at Henry Ford and the University of Michigan-Dearborn, who may need a place to kill time off-campus while enjoying a coffee, pastry or sandwich. 

“I think it’s a combination of the food and the environment we have at the locations,” Suryan said. “We encourage customers to come in and stay. Guests come to hang out and sit with their friends. It’s good quality and a good price and yet people aren’t feeling rushed to leave.”

While other competing coffee chains, such as Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts, appear to be more dominant in other major metropolitan areas, the Arab American community has helped drive Tim Hortons into becoming a leading coffee chain in metro Detroit.

  Not only did the Canadian-based company make a smooth transition into the Detroit metro region, it has also earned a positive reputation within the community, unlike the Seattle-based Starbucks.

In recent years, there has been a major divide locally over where to stand with Starbucks. Debate ensued over the company’s affiliation with Israel, later denied by the corporation itself. 

Still, with many hesitant to patronize Starbucks, along with a lack of Dunkin Donuts’ presence in Dearborn and Dearborn Heights, Tim Hortons would gradually emerge as both the politically correct and most conveniently accessible coffee venue in this community.

The Tim Hortons locations are also more responsive to their multicultural customers, something its giant competitors appear to lack. 

Suryan said her stores are very responsive to customers needs. For example, more employees work during Ramadan’s midnight hours, when fasting Muslims flock to the 24-hour-locations to get their caffeine fix before sunrise.

Fakih said that the regional office is very receptive to catering to its franchisees and the diverse customer base they represent.

“They do study the communities and they work with the owners of the stores to accommodate the people,” he said. “They are committed to the product and working with us to make sure our people are happy. The most profitable stores for them are the ones in Dearborn.”

Customers might also notice a more diverse workforce at the nearby Tim Hortons locations. Many of the 140 employees who work at the six locations operated by the Suryans are Arabs, African Americans or Latinos. Fakih also has a diverse staff at his location to cater to the multicultural communities the business surrounds. 

This summer, Fakih’s location will expand its seating outdoors and will also include a fountain. It doesn’t hurt to have a Coldstone at the location as well.

Fakih said he is invested in expanding his partnership with Tim Hortons by planning on opening more locations in the future, with his eyes set outside of Dearborn.

“I don’t think there’s space left to put them in Dearborn to be honest,” Fakih said. “But they do give franchisees opportunities to open more locations and I plan on doing that. If the population wants more, we are willing to open them. I believe in the product and the company believes in the product and growth.”