Canadians can rest assured: The tradition of “Roll Up the Rim” on Tim Hortons coffee cups is here to stay.
The coffee chain sparked outcry after its move to a digital-only format complete with the rename, “Roll Up to Win” in 2020. The change was in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to prevent staff from touching rims that been sipped and unraveled by customers.
“It just became obvious to us over the last few days that this isn’t the time to have team members in our restaurants collecting rolled up tabs from paper cups that have been in people’s mouths,” Duncan Fulton, chief corporate officer of Tim Hortons, told the Star in 2020.
Then, in 2025, Tim Hortons brought back the physical version of the contest with a plan to work around the health concerns: winners could show staff their winning rims and then discard them.
“We did hear some feedback from guests that they really love the game, but were missing the cup,” chief marketing officer Hope Bagozzi said. At the time, she said whether the physical rims were brought back would depend on if “guests really like it and things go to expectation.”
Now, Tim Hortons says it has listened to the people.
“When we brought Rolling Up The Rim back last spring, the response was incredible and we were reminded how important this iconic Tims tradition is for our guests,” Axel Schwan, president of Tim Hortons, said in a news release Wednesday.
The month-long contest will start on Feb. 23, marking its 40th anniversary. Customers will be able to play by ordering a hot beverage or earn additional digital rolls by buying a drink, breakfast sandwich or wrap, or lunch or dinner item as a Tim Rewards member.
“We always heard they loved the tradition of winning a free coffee — a little thing that could make their day,” Schwan added.
Winning small prizes is also a clever way for Tim Hortons to build customer loyalty, said retail analyst Lisa Hutcheson.
“People love to win things and will take any opportunity to do that,” she said. “If Tim Hortons has lost any customers, this beloved and nostalgic promotion is a way to get them back. It’s also a way they can measure customer engagement and acquisition. Any way that a company can do that is definitely a benefit for them.”
Hutcheson added that giving customers the choice between using an app or using physical cups will help the chain reach a wider customer base, from Gen Alpha to seniors. Regardless of the demographic, she said gamified experience makes the loyalty program more appealing.
“There is the immediacy of that gratification where if you do win something, you can get it right away. It’s no different than the lottery,” she explained.
This year’s prizes include a VIP experience to Cirque du Soleil, a Volkswagen all-electric ID. Buzz, and a seven-night all-inclusive vacation. Some rewards will be exclusive to cup Rolls, others to digital Rolls. Over 30 million prizes are available in total, including over 17 million coffees and eight million doughnuts.
The iconic campaign has received criticism in the past for erroneously informing customers of prizes won, only to identify and correct the mistake hours later. Connor Dodsworth, one such customer who was told he’d won a boat, previously told the Star that the all-digital nature removed the “physical pact” of the campaign.
“It’s a digital paper trail that they can very easily disregard,” Dodsworth said.
With files from the Canadian Press
