Tim Hortons lands in Iqaluit

Tim Hortons has officially opened three kiosks in Iqaluit, meaning the iconic coffee and doughnut chain now has locations in every province and territory in Canada.

At an opening ceremony Friday, an Inuit elder lit a qulliq, or traditional oil lamp, to welcome Tim Hortons to Nunavut's capital city.

Tim Hortons, whichpreviously had no stores in Nunavut, has partnered with the North West Company to open one of Canada's northernmost franchises.

The North West Company owns the NorthMart grocery and general store, as well as two Quick Stop convenience stores in the city of about 7,000.

The Tim Hortons kiosks are based in those three locations, offering customers a basic menu of coffee, doughnuts, Timbits,muffins and cookies.

Self-serve kiosks

All three kiosks are self-serve stations, which company officials say will stay that way for now.

"When we looked at just basically how we're going to make this work economically, and how we can have a broader part of the community enjoy the concept, the three micro-stores the kiosks we thought is a good first entry point," Nick Javor, Tim Hortons senior vice-president of corporate affairs, told CBC News onFriday.

Customers select their coffee cup size, fill up using one of several coffee dispensers, then press a button on a machine for single, double or triple shots of cream, milk and sugar.

Javor said the machines use technology similar to what staff at full-service Tim Hortons stores use.

Despite having to get their own coffee, Iqaluit customers are getting the same quality of TimHortons coffee as the rest of Canada, Javor added.

It isalso up to customers to grab their own doughnuts and Timbits of choice from the kiosk. To keep the process sanitary,patrons are expected to use wax sheets that are provided, company officials said.

Tim Hortons officialssaid they have sold 3,500 cups of coffee in Iqaluit since Tuesday, when the kiosks unofficially opened.

Now that Tim Hortons has set up shop in Iqaluit, residents and visitors to the city will no longer have to bring boxes of doughnuts, Timbits and coffee with them aboard flights from other cities.