An empty Tim Horton’s shop waits for the next rush of customers Jan. 12. Photo by Chester Beltowski/The Dakota Student.

My friends had been raving to me about Tim Horton’s weeks before it opened, so I had some high expectations of it.

Tim Horton’s Cafe and Bake Shop is a popular Canadian restaurant chain known for its coffee and donuts. With over 3,000 stores nationwide, Tim Horton’s is Canada’s largest fast-food restaurant.

It is named after Canadian hockey player and founder, Tim Horton. The chain ventured into Grand Forks on Dec. 6 with the opening of its shop located at 801 42nd Street.

Upon walking into Tim Horton’s I was surprised at how small the shop was. It was nice inside, and the atmosphere was warm and bakery-like.

I went when I thought it would be least busy — on a Monday around 1 p.m. — but even with only a handful of people inside, there were few open tables. These empty tables were littered with leftover food, and I was surprised that even though it didn’t seem busy, there was still garbage on the tables — which remained for the duration of my 30 minute visit.

The menu was pretty small, but the donut selection was quite impressive. I have been to the Grand Forks Tim Horton’s twice, and I noticed during my second trip that they switched up a few of the donut options since my previous visit. They had all sorts of different donuts to choose from to please anyone’s taste buds, and you can even spot the workers in the back frequently baking fresh batches of the pastry.

Upon seeing me eyeballing the donuts, a friendly worker asked me if I’d like any. I ordered two donuts and a small black coffee, and I also decided to try a Turkey Chipotle Panini sandwich so I could get a better taste of the place.

I received my donuts and coffee immediately, which was nice because I could eat one of my donuts while waiting for my sandwich. While the donuts weren’t anything special, they were fresh and they were donuts — which are always delicious. Overall, I wouldn’t say they were the best donuts I’ve ever had, which I was hoping would be the case.

My sandwich didn’t take too long to make, and upon looking at, it I was excited to try it. The panini bread on the sandwich was delicious, but the other sandwich ingredients consisted of mediocre sliced turkey, American cheese, tomatoes and chipotle sauce — almost identical to Subway’s chipotle southwest dressing.

The sandwich was good for the inexpensive price, but it was, again, nothing special. It wasn’t quite as good other sandwiches I’ve had, but for a donut and coffee type of place, it wasn’t too shabby.

For two donuts, a Turkey Chipotle Panini and a small black coffee I paid $7.53. I was pleased at how inexpensive it was for how much I was getting. The donuts were only $0.80 each, so the “nothing special” factor was really nothing to complain about.

UND sophomore Sarah Gehl visited Tim Horton’s shortly after it opened.

“The donuts are delicious and very reasonably priced, but Krispy Kreme donuts will still forever be my favorite,” Gehl said.

I give Tim Horton’s four out of five stars.

The donuts and baked breads are always fresh and inexpensive. It’s a great place to go for a quick bite if you’re looking for something fast, inexpensive and satisfying. It’s great to see that Grand Forks now has bakery that specializes in donuts.

Adele Kieger is a staff writer for The Dakota Student. She can be reached at [email protected].