Tim Hortons posts 20th straight quarter of comparable sales growth

Tim Hortons kept doing what matters most in Canadian coffee: showing up in the same routine, at the same price point, for the same customer who wants a fast coffee and a familiar stop. Restaurant Brands International said the chain delivered its 20th consecutive quarter of positive comparable sales, a streak that now reads less like a run of good timing and more like proof that Tim Hortons still owns a deep piece of the country’s morning habit.

RBI reported first-quarter 2026 results on May 6, with consolidated system-wide sales up 6.2% year over year and comparable sales up 3.2%. Net restaurant growth came in at 2.6%, total revenues rose to $2.264 billion from $2.109 billion a year earlier, and income from operations climbed to $606 million from $435 million. Net income from continuing operations was $445 million, while adjusted diluted EPS rose to $0.86 from $0.75. Josh Kobza said the company got off to a strong start in 2026, and RBI said it resumed share repurchases in March and still expects to buy back $500 million of stock this year.

For coffee people, the Tim Hortons-specific detail is the one that matters. Tim Hortons and RBI’s International segment each posted a 20th straight quarter of positive comparable sales, a consistency that says a lot about the chain’s place in Canada. Tim Hortons ended 2025 with 3,903 shops in Canada and 683 in the United States, and Q4 Canadian same-store sales grew 2.8% year over year. QSR Magazine also said the brand returned to new restaurant growth in Canada for the first time since 2021, which matters because a mature coffee chain cannot live on traffic alone if the unit count is shrinking.

The menu tells the other half of the story. Tim Hortons has been leaning harder into cold beverages, and that is exactly where the momentum appears to be. A separate earnings recap said cold beverage sales rose 8.6% in Q4 and made up nearly 27% of total drink sales. The 2026 spring-and-summer lineup, including Raspberry Mojito Zero Sugar Sparkling Quencher, Protein Quenchers and Caramel Churro drinks, shows how the brand is stretching beyond the old coffee-and-doughnut frame into all-day beverage occasions.

RBI said it remains on track for more than 8% organic adjusted operating income growth in 2026, and its February investor-day outlook said Tim Hortons U.S. is expected to be the largest contributor of net restaurant growth in its home markets, with a long-term target of 1,000 U.S. restaurants by 2028. For now, though, the clearest signal is in Canada: Tim Hortons still looks like the country’s default coffee counter, and that kind of loyalty is hard for any café competitor to crack.