There’s something about that last sip of coffee, when you realize, ahhhh. It’s spring, and finally time to Roll up the Rim.
For years Tim Hortons Roll up the Rim campaign has been a staple in Canadian culture and has brought joy to those who love their hot drinks for years.
Roll up the Rim serves as a gentle reminder of simpler times. For many of us, the thrill isn’t in the prize, but the enjoyment of the ritual itself. The pause, the anticipation, the excitement of the unknown. It’s a shared experience, and it’s one that unites Canadians in ways only true tradition can.
In 2020 when Roll up the Rim went mobile, I was disappointed. Having to download the app and roll it up by clicking a button, just didn’t have that same effect as finishing my cup of tea or coffee, and grabbing that lip of the cup to roll up the rim. Even if I got “please play again,” the ritual and the concept was still satisfying every single time.
It just wasn’t the same once it was online. It felt like we had been robbed of a classic joy that everyone could experience together, and honestly, I gave up on the mobile version.
Unlike many digital promotions, Roll up the Rim has an interactive factor that not many other coffee or fast food businesses have, or have been able to live up to. Whether it be for a free
coffee, a muffin, a doughnut, or for some of those really lucky players out there who win a car, going up to the cashier and saying “I have a Roll up the Rim to redeem” was always an exciting experience.
At 21 years old, I’m sure I don’t understand the even deeper rooted nostalgic feeling that so many people older than me would feel, but I can look back on my childhood and remember watching my parents roll up their rim in the car and feeling so excited to see if they won anything.
For so many people who don’t have phones or electronics, this classic game was taken away from them completely when the COVID-19 restrictions caused the game to go mobile, taking away the tradition from so many users for years.
Not even thinking about what time of the year it was, the other day I went to Tim Hortons and got myself an orange pekoe tea, and to my surprise, what did I see?
“RRROLL UP 2 WIN”
I was sitting in the car by myself with nobody to share this joy with, but I was so excited to see that finally our old tradition had returned.
Facebook users all over Canada agree that “some things are just better the old way” and are so “happy they brought the roll up the rim cups back!” And there really is something about that community excitement for an old tradition having returned that makes me so happy.
That’s the beauty of it really, it’s not about the prizes or the gratification of a digital game. It’s about the personal connection to a tradition that feels celebratory of our culture. The anticipation as you’re sitting alone in your car, rolling up the rim, is quiet and exciting and it’s something that can’t be replaced by technology. And really, do we need more online games?
So why should we change the things that make us happy, give us a nostalgic feeling, and ultimately bring community together? Thank you, Tim Hortons!