Second Tim Hortons Building on Atlanta Highway in Cumming; National Chain Coming

A second Tim Hortons is under construction at the Midway Shopping Center on Atlanta Highway in Cumming, and local reporting says a national restaurant chain is slated to move into the former Wild Wing Cafe space at The Collection at Forsyth. Both announcements underline continued franchise expansion along Forsyth County corridors and will shape traffic, employment, and retail competition in the area.

The Midway Shopping Center buildout marks a second Tim Hortons presence for the county and comes amid broader growth by quick-serve and regional chains. Shipley Do‑Nuts recently opened on Keith Bridge Road in Cumming, and Atlanta Eater observed, “Texas‑based Shipley Do‑Nuts is now open on Keith Bridge Road, bringing 60 varieties of doughnuts to Cumming in Forsyth County. Another 30 locations are planned for Georgia in the coming years. Shipley includes over 300 franchises throughout the South and Colorado.” Those openings fit a pattern of accelerated chain activity across metro Atlanta.

Tim Hortons itself has national scale and an active franchise pipeline. Atlanta Eater reported, “franchisee Abid Khutliwala inked a deal last year to open 15 locations of Tim Hortons across the state, starting with a location on Veterans Parkway in Columbus later this spring.” The chain’s profile underscores why local landlords pursue coffee tenants: “Tim Hortons (Tim’s or Timmies) is known for its French vanilla lattes and frozen hot chocolates, breakfast and lunch sandwiches, and doughnuts. The company is currently Canada’s largest coffee chain, with nearly 5,000 locations throughout the world. Annual sales for Tim Hortons topped $2.25 billion in 2021.”

Developers and retailers have targeted drive-thru and compact coffee footprints in recent projects. A development rundown elsewhere noted, “A separate freestanding drive‑thru enabled building measures only 960 square feet and is likely to be a coffee shop like Tim Horton's, Dutch Bros., Scooters, 7 Brew, Starbucks, etc.” The same coverage described a typical drive-thru restaurant module as roughly 2,900 square feet on a developer site plan, but those dimensions apply to a separate project and have not been confirmed for the Midway or Collection sites.

Local impacts are likely to include short-term construction jobs and new hourly service positions, modest increases in local sales tax receipts, and added pull on Atlanta Highway and surrounding intersections. Chain entries can also pressure independent coffee shops and casual dining tenants by offering predictable hours, national marketing, and drive-thru convenience.

Key details remain unconfirmed: the identity of the unnamed national chain taking the former Wild Wing Cafe space, the Midway Tim Hortons franchisee, exact square footage and whether either site will include drive-thru lanes, and opening dates. Forsyth County building and planning records and property managers for Midway Shopping Center and The Collection at Forsyth are the next sources for permits and timelines.

For Cumming residents, the takeaway is practical: more breakfast and quick-serve choices are coming to familiar corridors, and the county’s retail mix is tilting further toward national brands. Expect permit filings and lease announcements to clarify schedules in the weeks ahead.