Zubair Qureshi
After Lahore, Canada’s multinational coffeehouse and restaurant Tim Hortons went operational in Islamabad on Friday and received an overwhelming response on the opening day.
A day earlier, Chief Commissioner and Chairman of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) ,Capt (R) AnwarulHaq formally inaugurated the coffeehouse saying the international coffee chain’s arrival in Islamabad would add to Islamabad’s attractions.
On the first day of its operation, one could see customers, particularly families and young couples standing in queue in front of the three-floor building in the New Blue Area, braving the cold, chilly winds to grab the Tims’ signature coffee for only PKR400/. There was also 10pc discount on other bakery items.
While talking to Pakistan Observer, one of the staff members of the coffee house said they opened at 8:00 a.m. and since then the line of the customers kept growing.
The location of the coffeehouse is ideal and there is ample space for parking as well. We have three floors where families and friends can sit and enjoy our sandwiches and other fast food items besides coffee, she said.
It was earlier this year (February 2023) when Tim Hortons opened its first outlet in Lahore and the staff had to deal with thousands of customers on the first and many coming nights.
Since then Islamabad’s residents had been waiting for the multinational coffee chain to start operation in the federal capital and Friday turned out to be the promised day and according to Huma, one of the Marketing staff two more outlets are planned—one in DHA and the other in Rawalpindi Saddar.
Soon we shall be serving the people of the garrison city and they would not need to travel all the way to Islamabad, she said.
Among the bakery items they served donuts, cookies, cakes and pastries and the variety as well as the quality was according to the international taste.
A number of customers while talking to Pakistan Observer said they had earlier gone to the F-9 Park mistakenly and after traversing the entire park and driving from first to the fourth gate they finally discovered it was not inside F-9 Park rather opposite the park along the Jinnah Avenue.
“All my tiredness and boredom went away taking one sip of the hot coffee,” said Nabeel, a university student who had been roaming inside the park in search of the outlet. Nauman and Saba, a Canada-returned Pakistani couple were happy they had their favourite coffee shop now in Islamabad as in Toronto, Tim Hortons, it is a household name.
