What's old is new again in downtown Collingwood.

The Collingwood Family Restaurant, which sits at the corner of Third and Hurontario Streets has changed its name to the Old Red Hen Restaurant.

The restaurant has stood at the corner since 1946 and was originally called the Old Ren Hen, before going through several other name changes.

However, according to owner Jim Meridis, the restaurant, it will always be known as the Little Red Hen.

"About 80 per cent of people, young to old, call it the Little Red Hen," he said.

Meridis said he has always had a connection to the restaurant as he immigrated to Canada from Greece in 1959 and was working in a restaurant in Midland in 1962. He said his boss wanted to show his employees how a successful restaurant was run.

"He put three of us in a car and brought us down to this restaurant and showed us how successful this place was," he recalled. "It's a small world,"

After working in the development industry for several years, he purchased the restaurant in 2000, which was called Oasis at the time.

"I wanted to go back to the Little Red Hen," he said, but legal reasons prevented the  name change.
Meridis said his goal was to create a family atmosphere with "good, home-cooked food."

After eight years in business, he felt it was time for a change and decided to call the place the Old Red Hen.

His menu - which is known for its breakfast meals - still includes the Shipyard Breakfast and the Little Red Hen Breakfast. The walls are also filled with pictures of the former Collingwood Shipyards and older Collingwood sports teams.

"Collingwood is a very busy place," he said.