A pub in Toronto is returning to its roots after changing its name twice in the past 5 years.

It doesn't take a genius to know that the pub at the corner of Dundas West and McCaul has been a stalwart hangout for OCAD U students and AGO-goers looking to tamp all of their newfound lofty intelectualism with a cheap beer for more than 30 years.

Holding fast to the old motto of 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it,' much of what's made the pub so popular, like its unstuffy atmosphere, extensive beer menu and pocket-pleasing prices (hello, $8 mozzarella sticks,) have scarcely changed over the generations.

The only thing that's changed at all, really, is it's name — and it's name has kind of changed a lot in recent history.

Originally the Village Idiot, the pub opened in 1989, almost instantly cementing itself as a go-to quasi-campus bar just blocks away from OCAD — a reputation it still holds today.

In 2019, after 30 years of conducting business as the Idiot, owner Atef Girgis and son, Kevin, embarked on a massive rebrand, which included an updated menu, renovations and a new sign which, to the surprise in many, also bore a new name.

From then on, the Village Idiot Pub was renamed the Village Genius in a bid to keep up with the changing times, Kevin told blogTO in 2019, hanging portraits of geniuses like Nikola Tesla and Albert Einstein on the wall alongside thought-provoking quotes.

Almost exactly five years later (like, to the day,) and passersby were shocked to find that the pub's name had been changed back to the Village Idiot, with the sign crudely painted over, still showing signs of the 'Genius' that once lived there.

"Most customers missed the old name," Atef tells blogTO, "they knew it that way, they preferred it."

So, in an effort to make his many regulars happy, after about two or three years of contemplating reversing the name change, Atef says, he "finally got enough courage" to change the name back.

"Most people still called it Village Idiot even when we changed it, so it doesn't feel like a huge change," Atef tells blogTO, "but it's good change."

So, long story short, why did the Genius become the Idiot?

"I guess the answer is the customer's always right," Atef says with a laugh.

A few other things about the pub will undergo a transition, too, Atef notes, including "gradual" changes to the menu and slogans that can be found around the restaurant — personal favourites from the pre-Genius era include "if you have a complaint don't even consider talking to our head Idiot, he's already more drunk than you are," and "if you want to spend your OSAP loan, take a look at our beer menu!"

I hope those ones make a comeback, too.

The Village Idiot Pub is located at 126 McCaul Street.