As reported today by The Journal, the Hazlet Tim Horton’s location has gone out of business. This comes without any warning or announcements. After a very brief three-year run, it seems the Canadian-based chain could not compete with the myriad Dunkin’ Donuts, Starbucks, and more full-service Wawa’s and Quick Chek’s in the area. Since there was no actual information before or immediately after the closing, that is all we have to go on at the present time.

I, for one, was hyped when Tim Horton’s first opened. As a lifelong hockey fan, it was exciting seeing a place created by the legendary player come to my town. I first had their donuts and coffee in New York City, when I would often stop in and grab a box to go before hitting the train in Penn Station on my way home from New York Rangers’ games. They appeared to draw a decent crowd in Hazlet early on, but the parking lot was never buzzing, nor did there ever seem to be a line of cars at the drive-through. It had been a year since my last visit and I do not remember seeing more than a handful of tables occupied at any time I was ever there.

While the donut sizes were a bit smaller that what most people are used to, their coffee quality and sandwich selection pretty much rivaled what other similar area chains offer. I guess people are just too set in their ways to diverge from what they are used (myself included). The interior of Tim Horton’s was more unique, as they had a dual-sided fireplace, booths, a counter, tables and chairs, and high-tops. Their closing comes as a surprise, but a mild one. This area of Monmouth County literally has every chain and name under the sun, but Horton’s will be figuring into that no longer.