Tim Horton's Birstall taste test ahead of opening

A BRAND new restaurant with Canadian flair and sweet signature items officially opens in the district next week and the T&A got a sneak preview.

Tim Horton's will open its new store in Birstall Retail Park to the public from 7am on Monday.

The branch takes the place of Pizza Hut and stands prominent on the retail skyline.

It features a drive-thru and is the Canadian fast-food chain's first dip into the waters of West Yorkshire, with the next nearest restaurant in Sheffield or Manchester.

Kevin Hydes, Chief Commercial Officer for Tim Horton's franchise in the UK, said: "We can't wait to open.

"It's been an area we've wanted to open a restaurant for a very long time, so it gives us great pleasure to be opening here on Monday.

"It's going to be a fantastic restaurant.

"Birstall retail park is going to be a fantastically busy area, I'm sure, for us.

"But also I think we're going to drag a lot of people in from the Leeds area and North Yorkshire area to come and join us."

The T&A was invited down to the restaurant on Friday for a preview day and got the chance to take in the store's aesthetic and sample some of the chain's most iconic items, as well as those that are fresh on the scene.

This included Tim Horton's best-seller, Tim's Crispy Chicken Sandwich, a French Vanilla coffee and the chain's famous original Ice Capp - a blended cold coffee.

We also tried an item from the chain's new range of burgers - Tim's Signature Burger - which are only two weeks old, the Crispy Meatless Chicken Sandwich, a hot dog, Tim's Chicken Tenders and lattice fries, which come with every meal.

Crispy chicken sandwiches can taste similar wherever you go, but the coating on this had something unique about it, and it was the same for the tenders.

I still can't quite put my finger on it, but it was extremely tasty and had a nice kick, which can often go missing on these types of item.

The meatless version was a fantastic effort too, with Mr Hydes himself claiming, "I don't think there's anything better than that in the marketplace right now."

You won't be surprised to hear that maple makes regular appearances throughout the menu - whether it be in a drink, a savoury item, or for dessert.

The maple and chorizo sauce on Tim's Signature Burger blew me away and was pleased to see its return when I bit down into the hot dog.

Tim Horton's doughnut offerings are vast, with the choice of decadent Deluxe Donuts, simpler ring or filled choices, as well as bite-sized versions - called Timbits - too.

Mr Hydes explained all the doughtnuts are produced on site, every single day, "to give people the freshest quality product".

The restaurant itself harks back to its Canadian routes with plaid material covering many of the seats and a poster of Tim Horton himself.

It feels sophisticated and relaxed, with a bright, airy entrance and ordering area, which gives you plenty of room to peruse the impressive glass doughnut cabinet, near the till.

Mr Hydes said: "The environment we've created here is purposefully a relaxed environment, it's a very comfortable environment.

"We've got over 100 seats for people to come and enjoy, sit down, relax, meet-up with friends and families.

"I think the overwhelming impression we want to give people is one of welcoming, warmth, openness.

"This is a brand that originates back from 1964 in the spirit of a place where people can come together and enjoy a good time.

"There's nothing particularly pretentious about us at all.

"We make sure we recruit to that standard as well, so our team members are incredibly friendly and they want make sure that our customers have a great time and that's really our purpose."

The chain's mission is to provide good quality food at affordable prices, but it also understands its role within the wider community.

Mr Hydes said: "We've got countless examples of where we've gone to new towns and cities and we're involved with local community teams, local youth groups.

"We like to get involved as much as we possibly can and support communities that we're sitting within.

"We see ourselves as part of a community and whilst we're probably brand new to this one, hopefully we'll be able to make the same kind of impact here."

This is just the beginning for Tim Horton's in West Yorkshire too, with Mr Hydes revealing the brand hopes to expand further into Leeds and Bradford in the near future.

He said: "Our intention is we're going to be in every major town and city by the end of next year.

"That means we have to be opening in more cities, like Leeds and Bradford.

"So, whilst I can't tell you for definite, I can certainly say we very much hope to be in those locations as soon as we possibly can."

To celebrate the opening at Birstall Retail Park, the first customer in the drive-thru and restaurant queue will be rewarded with free drinks for a whole year, worth up to £3,100.