HARBORCENTER AND TIM HORTONS ANNOUNCE PARTNERSHIP
A one-of-a-kind Tim Hortons Cafe & Bake Shop will create a destination along Main Street at HARBORCENTER
BUFFALO, N.Y. (April 1, 2014) — HARBORCENTER President John Koelmel and Tim Hortons President and CEO Marc Caira today announced that a one-of-a-kind Tim Hortons Cafe & Bake Shop will open at HARBORCENTER this fall. This unique restaurant will be accessible from the street level at the intersection of Main Street and Scott Street, across from the site of the former Memorial Auditorium. The restaurant will pay tribute to the life and career of Tim Horton, as well as the history of downtown Buffalo.
“This is a tremendous opportunity to celebrate local history through one of Western New York’s favorite food brands,” Koelmel said. “We are very excited to partner with Tim Hortons to create another great reason to visit HARBORCENTER and Canalside. This restaurant will be a must-see for all coffee lovers, hockey fans and local history enthusiasts.”
“We are proud to celebrate our longstanding partnership with the Sabres and pay tribute to Tim Horton and his legacy here in Buffalo,” said Marc Caira, Tim Hortons President and CEO. “From a single location that opened 50 years ago, to the first U.S. restaurant in Amherst, NY that opened almost 30 years ago, Tim Hortons heritage is as deeply rooted in Buffalo as it is anywhere else.”
This Tim Hortons restaurant will offer many unique elements making it a one-of-a-kind destination. Tim Hortons has worked with the HARBORCENTER team to design a special logo that links the Buffalo Sabres mark with an original Tim Hortons logo. This special logo will be seen throughout the restaurant and used in product packaging. Within the restaurant, unique displays will tell the story of Tim Horton, as both a Buffalo Sabre and a businessman, and how those paths crossed during his time in Buffalo. The restaurant itself will be designed in a historic nature, with brick walls that will remind patrons of Buffalo’s industrial history on the Erie Canal. Additionally, this Tim Hortons restaurant will feature displays that tell the story of Buffalo’s Memorial Auditorium, the region’s hockey base from 1940 to 1996. Beginning this fall, guests will be able to sip coffee in unique Sabres-themed cups, surrounded by Buffalo history, while looking across the street at the former site of the Aud.
In addition, Tim Hortons will be the official coffee of The Rinks at HARBORCENTER, and will be available in its sixth and seventh floor concession areas. Tim Hortons “Always Fresh” coffee will be the only brand served at (716) Food and Sport,HARBORCENTER’s upscale, sports-themed restaurant, which will occupy the first two floors on the adjacent corner at Scott Street and Washington Street.
All 19,070 fans attending tonight’s game between the Sabres and Devils will receive a commemorative Tim Hortons travel mug to celebrate the announcement. Caira will conduct tonight’s ceremonial opening faceoff.
Miles Gilbert “Tim” Horton capped off his 25-year professional playing career with the Buffalo Sabres, playing defense from the start of the 1972-73 season until his death on February 21, 1974. In total, Horton was an NHL regular for 22 seasons with the Maple Leafs, Rangers, Penguins and Sabres. The defenseman played 1,445 games, scoring 115 goals with 518 points, while compiling 1,611 penalty minutes. In parts of two seasons with the Sabres, Horton played 124 games, scored 23 points and racked up 109 minutes in the penalty box. His number 2 was retired by the organization in 1998.
In 1964, Horton founded his namesake restaurant chain, which now operates nearly 4,500 restaurants worldwide. The chain launched in the United States in 1985 in Amherst, NY and is known as Tim Hortons Cafe & Bake Shop where for close to 30 years, the bakery cafe chain has been serving guests its premium blend coffee and much loved baked goods. Tim Hortons Cafe & Bake Shop has grown to more than 850 restaurants across the United States. As Tim Hortons Cafe & Bake Shop has grown over the years, it has never lost its sense of commitment to the community. From the Tim Horton Children’s Foundation to local sponsorships and its Sustainable Coffee initiatives, the brand is always giving something back to all the communities that have helped it along the way.
