Tim Hortons going downtown
Owners of existing restaurant expect to expand by early August
John McFadden
Northern News Services
Wednesday, June 7, 2017
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Yellowknife's Tim Hortons is finally set to double-double.
Suzanne Desfosses, co-owner-operator of Tim Horton's in Yellowknife stands in front of what will become the city's second Timmy's franchise in the Centre Square Mall downtown. Desfosses, who co-owns the existing store on Old Airport Road, said she expects the new outlet to open in early August. - John McFadden/NNSL photo
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After years of rumours, Suzanne Desfosses, co-owner and operator of the existing restaurant on Old Airport Road has announced she and her business partner are opening a new location this summer in the Centre Square Mall downtown.
"After many, many years of planning . construction is starting this week," she said, adding she anticipates opening in early August. "It's supposed to be finished July 24 but you never know. I just can't believe it's really here after all these years of planning."
The new Timmy's is going into the lower mall in a space previously occupied by a payday loan business facing 49 Street. Desfosses said the entrance will be inside the mall.
The new store will be takeout only, although Desfosses expects to have seating and tables for as many as 20 customers inside the mall itself. She said she is working with the city and the fire marshal to determine exactly how the seating area will be set up.
Desfosses and her Yellowknife business partners Greg and Deborah Barton are the third owners of the existing Tim Horton's, which originally opened a quarter-century ago. They took it over in 2001.
Desfosses said the new franchise cost about $800,000.
Once the new store is open, Desfosses said the dining area in the Old Airport Road location will close for about a month to do what she called major renovations, leaving just the drive-thru open.
"We're taking it right down to the studs," she said. "It'll be absolutely beautiful. It won't be recognizable."
In 2008, the Old Airport Road Tim Hortons was the number-one selling location throughout the chain, according to Desfosses.
The new store will have all the same menu options as the existing store with the possible exception of the full variety of doughnuts due to display space. Desfosses indicated she's done the market research to show her new location will be a success.
"There are studies that show 40 per cent of people eat at their desks," she said. "Yellowknife may be a little bit different in that we have that set hour for government employees to have lunch. They do eat in restaurants. But this will work well for them for coffee breaks."
Desfosses acknowledged security at the mall has been a concern in the past with intoxicated people and loitering.
"We still want everybody to be treated with dignity, and not to be assuming that someone is going to do something wrong, but to be there in case these issues come up," she said.
Deneen Everett, executive director of the Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce, said she is cautiously optimistic the new Timmy's will be good for the mall and other downtown businesses. However she added that she has concerns for other neighbouring coffee shops.
"We welcome business growth but it's also important to monitor and consider how that business might impact the other locally owned and operated businesses here in town," she said, adding other downtown coffee retailers have focused on higher-end coffees and that could work in their favour.
