Coffee franchise Tim Hortons to accept debit card transactions

Canada's favourite coffee chain, Tim Hortons, has announced that it will accept debit card payments at approximately 90 percent of its 3,000 locations. Several franchises in Toronto have already implemented the Interac system. Starting this month, Tim Hortons locations nationwide will give its customers the option of using their debit card to purchase any of their items in their restaurants or drive-throughs, according to a Canadian Newswire press release. For years, Tim Hortons did not use the Interac debit system over fears it would slow down service and make customers in the long line disgruntled. In the downtown core,many Tim Hortons sites maintain a large clientele.

“Tim Hortons' hospitality focuses on continuous improvement and fast, friendly service, whether it's new product innovation or the introduction of new payment methods such as Interac Debit,” said Tim Hortons Chief Operation Officer, Roland Walton. “Tim Hortons is proud to partner with a world-class Canadian payment network like the Interac network to bring more value and the speed and convenience of debit payments to Canadians coast to coast."

It was announced in March that Tim Hortons was going to establish 900 new stores in North America by 2013. The company is also slowly setting up upscale restaurants. In Toronto, at the Bay Street and Wellesley location, Tim Hortons has already gone upscale.