We’ve all had those a-ha! moments when something up there clicks, and we make the realization that restaurant or store name is actually quite impressively creative.
My personal favorite is when I’m driving semi-aimlessly (but attentively, I assure you!) down the street and happen across a restaurant. I don’t think twice about it at first, but all of the sudden when I've paused at a red light four blocks away, the light bulb illuminates, and I realize just how creative that restaurant name was.
That’s why I’m here to highlight some of the most unique and creative restaurants' names in the country. Shoutout to Delish and Eater for compiling some awesome lists already. The rest were combined with a dig through the Toast restaurant customer base as well as some of my own research. I’ve broken them out into a few of my favorite categories including puns, references, and miscellaneous aliases.
The Puns It’s been said that puns are the lowest form of humor.
But you can’t deny that they possess the rare ability to crack a smile even on the sternest of characters. Most restaurants with pun names tend to promote a more relaxed atmosphere. And there is no shortage of puns in restaurant names. Here are some of my favorites:
1. Brew’d Awakening Coffeehaus - Lowell, MA. Not only is this a pun, but it is also a double-entre. Wins all around. 2. Cheesy Does It - Saratoga, NY 3. The Dairy Godmother - Alexandria, VA 4. Kale Me Crazy - Atlanta, GA 5. Turnip the Beet - Dover, NH 6. Lettuce B. Frank - Rochester, NY 7. Party Fowl - Nashville, TN. This Nashville fried chicken joint “includes a number of hot chicken dishes with heat levels ranging from mild to “Poultrygeist,” as well as creative spins on the classics.” Check out their website for more menu items. 8. Rolling Dough Cookie Company - Lynchburg, VA 9. Wok N' Roll - Cambridge, MA 10. Wild Thyme Cafe - Smithville, TN
The (Sometimes Obscure) References When you love something, sometimes you’ve just got to name a restaurant after it.
Or, at least, that was the case for some of these restaurants and managers. The combination of pun + movie or music or miscellaneous references is popular amongst restaurants. The below list are my favorite creative restaurant names based on pop culture or other obscure references.
11. Life of Pie - Ontario, Canda. With a rotating menu depending on the day of the week, this Canada-based bakery & cafe certainly knows a thing or two about pie. 12. 16 Handles - New York, NY and others 13. Wok This Way - San Antonio, TX 14. Tequila Mockingbird - New Canaan, CT 15. The Big Legrowlski - Portland, OR 16. Lord of the Fries - Melbourne, Australia 17. The Glass Onion - Falmouth, MA. When their 2-year old son suggested that the restaurant be named after one of his favorite Beatles’ songs, The Glass Onion, Josh and Tally Christian couldn’t really deny him. 18. Pita Pan - New York, NY 19. Lee Harvey’s - Dallas, TX 20. Planet of the Crepes - Tucson, AZ. They stand as Tucson’s online mobile creperie and was voted as the Best Food Truck in 2014. 21. Thai Tanic - Washington, D.C. District of Columbia 22. Jekyll & Hyde Club - New York, NY. No big pun or mystery here, this Jekyll & Hyde themed restaurant is a “haunted restaurant and bar for eccentric explorers and mad scientists.”
The Miscellaneous Aliases The sounds roll of your tongue. The catchiness and compelling nature of alliteration encourage restaurant goers to start talking about your restaurant. Highlighted below are some that got me talking:
23. No Name Restaurant - Boston, MA 24. Biscuit Boy - Zion, IL. The simplicity alongside the alliterative nature of this Zion restaurant makes the name a winner. 25. Duck Duck Goat - Chicago, IL 26. He’s Not Here Bar - Chapel Hill, NC 27. The Three Needs Taproom & Brewery - Burlington, VT. This Burlington-based taproom doesn’t clearly outline what the 3 needs are. In order to find out, you need to go inside and ask, and even then an answer is not guaranteed.
This is simply a few of the MANY cool and creative restaurant names that exists out there. Are there others that you’ve seen? Comment below and I’ll add them to the list next time around!
This blog entry is compliments of Toast. As always, check out Restaurantsupply.com for all your restaurant needs.
