Tim Hortons recreates original Hamilton store in Toronto

Tim Hortonsis celebratingthe 50th anniversary of the opening of its first location, and today the coffee and doughnut giant createda temporary replica of Store No. 1 and plopped it into a busy city square.

But the installation, staffed on Thursday with servers dressed in Mad Men-era uniforms handing out goodies to passersby, wasnt unveiled in Hamilton, the real home of Tim Hortons first site.

Instead, the corporation rolled out the blast from Canadas past in downtown Toronto's Yonge-Dundas Square.

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We knew we could surprise and give back to the highest number of TimHortonsguests in Torontos downtown core.Michelle Robichaud, spokeswoman for Tim Hortons

The first TimHortonsrestaurant opened in Hamilton on May 17, 1964, inside a converted car repair garage on Ottawa Street North atDunsmure,The restaurant took its name from founder Tim Horton, who just weeks before launching the businesswon the Stanley Cup with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

During Thursday's event TimHortonsstaff handed out free coffee and 20-year-old Montreal jazz singer NikkiYanofskyperformed a set of60spop hits.

Over the past 50 years, TimHortonshas grown from its Hamilton beginnings to become the dominant coffee and baked goods chain in Canada, with more than 4,000 locations, as well as approximately 800 in the U.S. and more than two dozen in the Middle East.

"Choosing just one location to host an event like this is almost impossible," said Michelle Robichaud, a representative for TimHortons, when asked why the event wasn't organized for Hamilton.

"But with thousands of visitors to TorontosYonge-DundasSquare each day, we knew we could surprise and give back to the highest number of TimHortonsguests in Torontos downtown core," she wrote in a Thursday statement.

Tim Hortons said it will continue to celebrate the anniversary by offering a free "birthday cake" doughnut at participating locations across Canada.

"Guests can also look forward to the release of a commemorative online video, which will capture the hearts ofTimHortonsfans who have grown up drinking Canada's favourite coffee, the restaurant chain said in a statement.

The original Ottawa Street location stills exists, but looks nothing like it did in 1964.

Arepresentative from the store who asked not to be namedsaid management and staff are planning a Saturday birthday celebration that will featurecake and giveaways.