What Does Tim Hortons Do With Leftover Donuts?

A display case jam-packed with Tim Hortons donuts is a welcome sight to see in the morning. But at closing time, what happens to the remaining donuts? Like many similar businesses, Tim Hortons operates under strict freshness standards, which means baked goods are not kept for sale the next day. What happens to those leftover donuts depends on the location.

In 2024, the famously Canadian brand with a decidedly loyal fanbase announced that more than 2,000 locations in Canada would participate in Too Good To Go, a surplus food app that allows restaurants to sell end-of-day baked goods as discounted surprise bags. Customers on Reddit have reported mixed reviews of the surprise bags (which typically go for $4.99), with some saying they've received stale pastries, and others being pleased with the variety and quality. Today, some of Tim Hortons' 690 U.S. locations also appear to have a partnership with Too Good To Go.

Yet employee reports on Reddit from May 2026 suggested the amount of food waste saved varies by location. One individual lamented that after they filled the Too Good To Go bags, they were still throwing away over $200 in donuts and pastries. An employee from another store shared, "My local Tims isn't on TGTG, but thankfully, they don't waste it. I've been given free pastries multiple times." Another poster chimed in: "My local Timmies gave all of the bread, bagels, and muffins to the local schools for the breakfast programs they ran."

Food waste is a challenge for bakeries and donut chains like Tim Hortons because these are some of the hardest foods to manage. Donuts have a short freshness window, and are often made in large quantities, intended to be eaten the same day. 

Even if stores use forecasting tools to predict how many donuts might be sold, they will likely end up with excess product at the end of the day — especially since some types of donuts are tastier and more popular than others. This issue isn't unique to Tim Hortons; Krispy Kreme also struggles to manage its inventory of leftover donuts. In the past, Tim Hortons seemed to have a bigger food waste issue before it started working with Too Good To Go.

In a Reddit post from eight years ago, an employee asked, "Why doesn't Tim Hortons give its day-old donuts to the hungry instead of throwing them out?" The poster cited that they believed it was due to liability issues or not wanting customers to associate their brand with stale baked goods. In another Reddit post, this one from three years ago, another employee shared, "At my store, we throw out all the donuts at night. And usually there's close to a full showcase, which is a huge waste." Although not all Tim Hortons locations work with Too Good To Go, it does seem like the chain has made strides in its food waste management since the time of these past Reddit posts.