Tim Hortons is so synonymous with Canada that one author wrote a book about the coffee-doughnut chain’s impact on national identity.

“Double Double: How Tim Hortons Became a Canadian Way of Life, One Cup at a Time” delves into the history of the chain that originated in 1964 in Southern Ontario, thanks to NHL player and namesake Tim Horton.

Dubbed “pubs without alcohol” in the book’s description, Tim Hortons restaurants are meeting places and must-visit venues for campaigning politicians. The chain, the description’s author contends, “has established an undying connection to what it means to be Canadian.”

The success of the once regional chain is due in part to a few important factors, author Doug Hunter said in a CBC interview. Tim Hortons’ merger with Wendy’s, Hunter said, gave the Canadian restaurants an economic boost, and the “Royal Canadian Air Farce” doughnut gang sketches of the 1990s established the idea that Canadians convene at doughnut shops.

And while Canadians claim Timmies as a national gem, Buffalonians know that Tim Hortons restaurants reached our region before the beloved Ontario chain hit most other parts of Canada. America’s first Timmies opened right here in Western New York in 1984, according to the company’s history.

Listen to the full audio interview with “Double Double” author Doug Hunter below: