horton hears a houston

Iconic Canadian coffee and doughnut shop rolls out big plans for Houston

Tim Horton's will open in Houston next year.

Courtesy of Tim Horton's

The cheers echoing across Houston on Sunday, December 12 didn't just come from Seahawks fans celebrating the drubbing their team gave the Texans. Canadian expats joined the chorus at the news that their favorite place for coffee and doughnuts is heading to the Bayou City.

Tim Hortons announced that it will open its first Texas location in Houston by summer 2022 (Editor’s note: Yay, eh!) during a commercial that aired during Sunday's Texans game. While an exact location has yet to be revealed, it will be the first of many under a franchise agreement the Canadian company signed with Houston's CSM Group, which operates Popeye's locations in Texas, Kansas, and Missouri.

“When determining where to bring our coffee shops next, Houston proved to show significant growth opportunity,” Ricardo Azevedo, regional president of Tim Hortons U.S., said in a statement. “Texas is one of the fastest growing out-of-home coffee markets in the U.S. and is still under-penetrated. Most importantly, we chose to put down roots in Houston because we love this city’s friendly hospitality, unique culture and strong sense of community.”

Founded in 1964 by NHL legend Tim Horton, the company has expanded across Canada with more than 600 U.S. outlets in Ohio, Michigan, and New York. The restaurant serves coffee, doughnuts, and breakfast sandwiches but is best known for its Timbits doughnut holes that are available in a range of flavors. Tim Horton's recently partnered with superstar musician Justin Bieber on three new Timbits flavors along with associated merchandise.

Each location will offer both dine-in and drive-thru service —many with double drive-thrus for faster ordering — along with mobile pre-ordering and a rewards program for frequent customers.

“Houston is our home. This meant assuring we partnered with a brand that aligned with our values, which is why we’re so excited to bring the Tim Hortons experience to our city,” CSM Group CEO Ali Lakhany added. “We couldn’t be more excited to bring Tims to Houston, and we’ll soon look to expand into surrounding metropolitan cities.”

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Kirby Ice House 5

Houston's modern ice house plans fall opening for new Clear Lake outpost

Courtesy of Kirby Ice House

A rendering previews Kirby Ice House's Clear Lake location.

Houston’s growing chain of modern ice houses is heading to the Bay Area. Kirby Ice House will open a Clear Lake outpost in September.

Located near the Johnson Space Center and Space Center Houston at open at 530 Bay Area Boulevard, the new Kirby Ice House will build on the brand’s winning formula — a huge indoor-outdoor bar with an extensive selection of beer and cocktails, lawn games, space for food trucks, and plenty of TVs for watching sports. The Clear Lake location will also offer Kirby Ice House’s daily specials and happy hour discounts.

The bar is customing its interior for Clear Lake. For example, the design will nod to NASA with a neon sign that depicts its signature cowgirl riding a rocket.

“One of the things we enjoy most is creating spaces that reflect the communities they serve,” co-owner Danny Evans said in a statement. “We never want our locations to feel copied and pasted. We want them to have their own personality, and we hope guests feel that from the moment they walk in.”

While the construction team is building the bar, Kirby Ice House has already begun recruiting the 100 or so employees who will be necessary at opening by setting up a hiring facility adjacent to the construction site.

Those employees will be pouring beers from dozens of taps alongside wines by-the-glass or bottle. Kirby Ice House also serves cocktails such as a cucumber-lime Moscow Mule, blood orange paloma, and lemonade Old Fashioned. A rotating roster of food trucks serves customers who want a bite with their beers. Taken together, the extensive selection and massive footprint have helped each location of Kirby Ice House rank among the highest’s grossing bars in Texas.

Over time, the concept has grown to four Houston-area locations in Upper Kirby, Memorial City, The Woodlands, and a Heights-adjacent location that opened last year.

“The Kirby Ice House team is excited to become part of Clear Lake’s vibrant, historic culture,” added vice president of operations Margo Axton. “We’re looking forward to being a neighborhood gathering place that supports local businesses, welcomes casual groups, and gives the community an easy place to meet up before, during, or after whatever the day has planned.”