PLAINFIELD TOWNSHIP — A hole in the Grand Rapids doughnut scene is about to get filled.
Tim Hortons, a Canadian chain best known for its coffee and doughnuts, is laying the groundwork for several Grand Rapids locations to open over the next year.
It already has announced plans for new cafe and bake shop in front of the Meijer store on Plainfield Avenue. Another is planned for the former Boston Market on 28th Street in Wyoming. Plans for another new restaurant in Alpine Township fell through, though the company is still considering the corridor for future expansion. Those Tim Hortons come in addition to recently-opened outlets inside the Gun Lake Casino and in Grand Haven and Norton Shores.
Tim Hortons has 3,500 restaurants in Canada and 700 in the United States, including 150 in Michigan, most of which are concentrated in the Detroit area. The chain was founded by hockey great Tim Horton in 1964 in Hamilton, Ontario.
The Plainfield Avenue location still needs site plan approval, but the Township Board approved the request to use a Meijer outlot, which is zoned as a planned unit development. The Wyoming shop will also include a Coldstone Creamery ice cream shop.
Plans fell through for an Alpine Avenue site that had been approved, said Walker Planning Director Frank Walsh.
Mark Kellenberger, a representative for the franchise group opening the Grand Rapids-area locations, told the Plainfield Township board Tim Hortons is getting a feel of the local market.
“To go into a new market, there are a whole lot of issues. This is a test,” he said.
The franchised restaurants include breakfast foods such as oatmeal, bagels and sandwiches of eggs and sausage, as well as lunch sandwiches.
Kellenberger said the 2,000-square-foot Plainfield site will be like others — not a traditional fast-food joint, but one with more of a sit-down coffee shop feel, with a fireplace, soft seating and WiFi access. The 24-hour restaurant will have a drive-through and bar seating, along with tables and an outdoor patio.
Kellenberger said about 70 percent of customers use take-out service.
Tim Hortons was founded in Hamilton, Ontario, in 1964. The company is based in Oakville, Ontario. It has a U.S. headquarters in Dublin, Ohio, near Columbus.