Tim Hortons Warning: Coffee And A Gas Chamber?? 

My Tim Hortons Experience: Coffee And A Gas Chamber?? 

By Someone Who Breathed It In

It was late. About an hour before closing.
Quiet. Empty. I just wanted a coffee.

Instead, I got a throat full of caustic chemical mist — because the staff decided that was the perfect time to start spraying grill cleaner. Hot grill. Industrial degreaser. No ventilation.

A thick haze filled the air. My throat started burning.
Why?

Because at this particular Tim Hortons, someone thought it was totally fine to fumigate the restaurant with industrial chemicals — while customers were still inside.

🔥 Not Cleaning — Gassing

Let’s be clear: what I experienced wasn’t “cleaning.” It was low-grade chemical warfare.

Grill cleaners like Ecolab Grease Express™ or Suma Grill D9 contain:

• Sodium hydroxide (lye) – dissolves flesh

• Butoxyethanol – affects liver, lungs, blood

• Ethanolamines and surfactants – lung irritants

• Fragrance agents – unlisted, untested, inhaled

These are not products meant to be inhaled. They’re designed for industrial surfaces — not open air where people are breathing, sipping coffee, eating food, and expecting not to be gassed like cockroaches.

And yet, this is routine. Late night. Store not busy. “Let’s get a head start on cleaning.”
Only problem? People are still inside.

🚫 You Know This Isn’t Okay

Tim Hortons corporate knows these products are dangerous. The MSDS says:

“Avoid breathing vapors or mist.”
“Causes severe burns.”
“Use only in well-ventilated areas.”

So what happens when a minimum-wage worker sprays it on a 400°F grill in an enclosed kitchen?
It vaporizes. Spreads. Coats the air.
And your customers breathe it in.

🤢 And No One Says a Thing

There was no warning. No barrier. No sign.
Just the slow realization that I was breathing in poison in a restaurant that sells donuts to families.

By the time I stepped outside, I felt it in my throat. In my lungs.
Still do.

And I’m one of thousands — most of whom probably never connect the cough, the raw throat, the asthma flare-up to that “harmless” trip to Tim Hortons.

⚠️ What This Actually Is

• A public health hazard

• Corporate negligence

• Senseless, avoidable, normalized poisoning

All so a franchise can save 30 minutes after closing.
All so a manager can say they’re “ahead of schedule.”

🛑 Fix This Now

If Tim Hortons gives even a shred of a damn, they’ll:

• Ban chemical cleaning during open hours

• Install proper ventilation

• Train workers on safe usage

• Warn customers if anything airborne is being sprayed

Until then, here’s the truth:

You’re not eating in a café. You’re eating in a chemical testing lab.
The only thing missing is a gas mask and a waiver.

Final Words

You can put all the maple leaves and smiling commercials you want on top…
But if you’re filling your stores with chemical vapor, you’ve turned hospitality into hostility.

AND GET THIS!  MAYBE YOU DON’T GO TO TIM HORTON’S AT NIGHT, MAYBE YOU GO IN THE MORNING… THE GRILL CLEANER GAS HAS SETTLED ON EVERYTHING…. THE CLEAN CUPS, THE TAKEOUT UTENSILS, THE DONUTS IN THE PLASTIC CASE, THE SEATS, THE BATHROOM TOILET.  THE DOOR HANDLE, AND WHEN YOU SIT ON THEIR FURNITURE YOU GET GRILL CLEANER RESIDUE ON YOUR CLOTHES.  

Tim Hortons: The Gas Chamber Version.
And we’re not going to pretend it’s normal anymore.