A Tim Hortons Drive-Thru In Ottawa Was Covered In Rats & The Video Is Nightmare Fuel

A morning coffee stop for an Ottawa resident took an unexpected turn a few weeks ago, and he wound up leaving with much more than just a double-double.

Making his way through the drive-thru lane of the Tim Hortons at 1161 Bank Street, near Billings Bridge and Colonel By Drive, Joe Remollino saw, "dozens and dozens" of mice and rats "of all colours and sizes just scurrying about."

"As I pulled to the drive-thru window I asked the lady what was going on," Remollino told Narcity. "I was surprised when she didn’t seem bothered by the sight and replied something like 'it’s a normal occurrence'."

Remollino also admits the video he took does not do justice to the number of rodents he originally spotted.

After the first morning he visited this Timmies, he went back another day to record.

"On the morning I filmed it another truck had just gone through before me and when a vehicle goes by they scatter and run off," he said. "That’s why there are not as many in the video as I described I saw the night before."

Remollino decided to post the video of the rodents on his Facebook page to alert his friends.

Following up on the encounter, he also checked the Ottawa Public Health website, to find this Tim Hortons has been considered "not in compliance" on multiple dates. All previous inspections, including as recently as October 12, 2022, have approved the site for operation.

Narcity reached out to the Tim Hortons location and the manager called it, "an ongoing issue for sure" and that, "the Ottawa Public Health (OPH) and bylaw have been coming [to the store] every day and speaking with the landlord," of the place since the incident was reported.

The manager said that as employees they are not told of the exact plan, but the landlord and OPH are looking into patching nearby holes at the side of the parking lot where the mice and rats seem to be hiding. He explained that they need to work with another landlord of a nearby residential building for any treatment to be done on the neighbouring property.

Narcity reached out to Tim Hortons and was sent this statement:

"The owner can confirm there are no pests in the restaurant and the issue remains outside. In fact, he has invested in regular onsite pest control to deter pests and to continue keeping them from gaining access to the restaurant. They have discussed these issues with the landlord multiple times (...) he has asked the local bylaw officers and property standards officers to work with the landlord to address concerns related to the property that have been raised by the neighbouring community, such as the retaining wall."

"The restaurant owner met with the Ottawa Public Health Unit, bylaw officers and property standards officers to discuss the matter at length and hope the situation is corrected soon," the statement concludes.

Narcity has reached out to Ottawa Public Health for a comment but has not yet received their statement on the matter.