With a packed parking lot, the O’Fallon-Shiloh Chamber of Commerce had a ribbon cutting Friday morning at the dual business — Tim Hortons Cafe & Bake Shop and Reliance Bank at 450 Regency Park Drive.
“We’ve known since day one that we wanted to be here on this side of the river with this spot being sort of the epicenter of development in the metro-east,” Tina Bryan, vice president of Show Me Hospitality LLC, owner and operating group.
This is the first Illinois Tim Hortons location, and fifth in the greater St. Louis metro region.
“This spot was very appealing to us, not only because of the new St. Elizabeth’s HSHS medical campus next door under construction, but also the ingress and egress coming off Green Mount Road from Interstate 64,” Bryan said.
With about 50 employees, including management staff, the Tim Hortons family hopes to be a relaxing hub for community members, whether it be before, during or after work or school, she added.
Reliance Bank shares a reception area with Tim Hortons, which O’Fallon officials such as Ted Shekell, community development director, said is “brilliant.”
“Anytime you can sit in a bank and look at tasty donuts all day must be great!” Shekell said with a chuckle.
Reliance Bank senior manager Lisa Frederick said this location is one of the first of its kind in the metro-east.
“We are demoing our video teller, which is a remote teller who gives you face-to-face transactions while you are at our drive-thru,” Frederick said.
The branch’s available services are not limited because of its size, Frederick said.
“It’s really neat actually being able to go through the drive-thru and be able to talk to a real person, who is at a remote location, but still able to provide our customers with a number of types of transactions,” Frederick said.
O’Fallon Mayor Gary Graham said “the donuts are phenomenal,” as he chatted with locals visiting the location during the grand opening.
“With Memorial Hospital East in Shiloh combined with St. Elizabeth’s completion soon the State of Illinois has shared with me an expected visitor count of about 400,000 vehicles a year to drive through Green Mount Road, and we already have 75,000 a day traveling on I-64, so to say that Tim Hortons and Reliance are going to be a great attractive addition to our community is an understatement — I think the economic impact to our city will be impressive,” Graham said.
Many youngsters attended the grand opening with mouth watering anticipation, Hollie York said.
York and her friends brought their children to the location for a very good reason, she said.
“They love Tim Hortons’ donuts, and they all just finished their Southern Illinois Ice Hawks youth hockey league camp in O’Fallon just before we came, and they are hungry,” York said.
All smiles and empty plates — a couple from Fairview Heights, Patrick and Kim Hines, joined their friend from Belleville, Percy Matkins, Jr., for a breakfast croissant meal.
“It’s our first time eating Tim Hortons and it was good; we will definitely be back because I want to try the lunch menu next,” Kim Hines said.
Tim Hortons is open from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. with a 24-hour drive-thru. Reliance Bank is open at 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday-Thursday with special Friday and weekend hours.
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