Area residents will have a new location in their quest to satisfy their Tim Hortons fix.
On Thursday, Tim Hortons Cafe & Bake Shop opened along North Main Street near West Oak Hill Road. It is the fourth location in the area owned by Vic Tarana.
''We had an extraordinary opening. We opened at 7 a.m. this morning and we had no issues from an operational standpoint,'' he said. ''We had excellent traffic and turnout. Even though we didn't do any promoting, we had a soft opening, it has been an excellent start.''
Article Photos
The new Tim Hortons Cafe & Bake Shop opened along North Main Street near West Oak Hill Road on Thursday.
P-J photos by Michael Rukavina
Tarana said opening a location on the north side of town was the next step for the business.
''If you look at our other three locations, one on the east side of town on East Second Street, one on the west side of town in Lakewood and one in the center of town in Brooklyn Square, it was only logical that this was the next area right for us,'' he said. ''The north side on North Main is the main route in and out of town, and close to Interstate 86, which is a high travel road. This is the perfect location for us.''
The new location is an express Tim Hortons, designed for customers to use the drive-though lane. Tarana said about 17 cars can fit in the drive-thru lane.
''We probably have room for 35 or more cars altogether that can be in the drive-thru or in the parking lot waiting to get into the drive-thru, and they are completely off the highway,'' he said.
The new location has seating inside and a patio area outside the restaurant. Tarana said inside and outside, there is room for about 24 people who want to enjoy their coffee or baked good on-site. The business's drive-thru is open 24 hours a day while the dining room area is open 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Tarana said there are no plans for a fifth Tim Hortons location, yet.
''Obviously we will evaluate our operation. In this case, this is the fourth in the area we've done in the last 10 years. We will let this settle in and then we will evaluate other opportunities in the area,'' he said.
Tarana said with 20 new employees at the North Main Street Tim Hortons, the business now employees more than 100 people at all four sites.
''Obviously we are growing and we have grown because of the support of the community,'' he said. ''The community has been very good to us. It has been a good relationship.''
A grand opening and ribbon-cutting celebration is planned for 10 a.m. Tuesday.