BRAS D’OR, N.S. (CP) - The doughnuts at a Cape Breton Tim Hortons restaurant are not only holey, they’re holy. Staff there say hundreds of people have been flocking to the doughnut shop to view what appears to be an image of Christ on the side of the building.

Margie Keeping of Groves Point, N.S., said she saw an image of Christ’s face that gave her goosebumps. "It’s just amazing," she said Wednesday, adding she approached the building to touch the spot where it appeared. "It is blurry up close but when you move back you can see the Lord."

Helen Yorke of Florence, N.S., spent two hours looking at the image from the parking lot of the Lick-a-Chick restaurant across the street. "It’s unbelievable," she said. "This is a good sign, seeing something like this." Yorke said her daughter overheard teachers talking about the sighting Wednesday. "I thought it was all a big hoax and couldn’t believe it when I got here and actually saw it myself."

Lori Steele of Glace Bay, N.S., heard the rumour while shopping Wednesday evening. "I can’t believe it. The face of Christ - his hair, beard, robe - it’s all there," she said.

People hoping to catch a glimpse of the image filled the Tim Hortons parking lot, as well as the Lick-a-Chick parking lot across the road. Those who couldn’t squeeze in parked along the highway. Germaine Almon, cashier at Lick-a-Chick, said traffic there has been unusually busy since Sunday, and has been building nightly. "Wednesday was the busiest night yet. There was about 200 cars between 8:00 and 10:30 p.m. and they are still lining up out there." Almon said the image has been good for business. "People are smelling the chicken and are coming in."