Management & Operation

How to Name Your Restaurant

Last updated on Jan 10, 2023
WebstaurantStore

Starting a restaurant with finding a location, securing funding, and hiring staff all requiring immense energy. Some entrepreneurs have a name in mind from the inception of their restaurant concept, while others struggle to decide until later in the process. Either way, it is imperative to spend ample time choosing a name that will help customers instantly identify your brand, service, and values. We'll provide tips and tricks to guide you through the restaurant naming process and set your business up for success.

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Restaurant Naming Guidelines

A good restaurant name goes beyond mere identification - it is recognizable, marketable, and unique. Your name should resonate with your audience, set your business apart from the competition, and evoke positive emotions and memories in your customers. Keep the following naming considerations in mind to set the stage for a successful and memorable dining experience.

  • Simplicity: Choose a name that is easy to remember and spell. While it doesn't have to be short, it should be something customers can type into google or their GPS without trouble. In most cases, you should avoid complex pronunciations or confusing spellings.
  • Relevance: Pick a name that accurately reflects the type of service you provide and the foods you serve. Consider the atmosphere, cuisine, and overall experience you want to offer. Avoid picking a name that is deceptive or tries to portray your restaurant as something it's not. Stay true to your restaurant’s brand and the experiences you provide. You should also pick a name that is evergreen and won't go out of style. While trendy, in-the-moment inspirations may seem like a good idea, they may seem outdated a few years down the line.
  • Authenticity: Your name should be unique and distinct. Conduct thorough research to ensure it is not already used by another business in your area to prevent confusion among guests and mitigate the risk of potential legal issues. Once a name is selected, register it with all necessary local authorities to establish legal ownership.

Restaurant Name Ideas

Many business owners draw from common themes and methods to select a suitable name. This helps guide the decision process and provides inspiration to help your name stand out. By thinking outside the box and considering what sets your restaurant apart, you can discover a name that resonates with your target audience.

1. Draw Inspiration from Your Location

Street sign for fifth avenue

By folding elements of your city or neighborhood into your name, you can forge a connection with your patrons right from the start. Consider choosing a name that highlights the unique characteristics of your restaurant’s location, whether it's a vibrant city center, a historic neighborhood, or a scenic coastal town.

  • Use regional slang or dialect: This approach adds a touch of authenticity and familiarity that can appeal to locals and visitors alike. It reflects the essence of your community and builds a sense of pride and belonging among your customers.
  • Reference local culture: This could include references to famous landmarks, significant events, or iconic figures associated with your area.
  • Incorporate your address: Whether highlighting your street name, address number, or both, this straightforward method can help customers easily locate and remember your establishment.

2. Look for Historical Inspiration

By tapping into the historical context of your location, you can infuse your identity with a sense of heritage and storytelling. In areas with a rich history or a wealth of traditions, this can help to ingratiate your business as part of the community. It shows that you appreciate what came before you and make an effort to recognize the past.

  • Research your building: Many successful restaurants have been established in structures that previously functioned as libraries, firehouses, theaters, and other unique settings. The charm and character of these buildings creates a distinctive dining atmosphere and provides a rich source of inspiration.
  • Draw from past events: If your restaurant is located in a town or area with significant historical relevance, drawing inspiration from past events, local legends, or notable figures creates a name that resonates with the community and adds a layer of authenticity to your establishment.

3. Embrace Cultural References

Cultural references can pique the interest of pop culture fans and intrigue those drawn to the name's allure. Featuring them into your name not only create a sense of familiarity and nostalgia, but also initiates a conversation with your customers. This engagement can spark a connection and build rapport, making your restaurant more than just a place to eat.

  • Literature: Take inspiration from your favorite book or series of books. Reference the characters, the book title, or specific details from the world the author built.
  • Music: Allude to popular bands or performers. You can even play their music to build an atmosphere.
  • TV and movies: Name your business after a popular film or television show.
  • Folklore: Draw from popular urban legends or mythology. You can attract customers by embracing themes from those stories in your restaurant design.
  • Past eras: Embrace the aesthetic of past eras for a throwback experience. Come up with a restaurant name that embodies the 60s, 70s, 80s, or another point in time.

4. Invoke Your Mission Statement

If your restaurant has a specific mission statement or causes that you deeply care about and want to promote, incorporating them into your restaurant name is a powerful way to communicate your values. Not only is this an opportunity to show what matters to you, but it builds support and attention for a good cause.

  • Charitable causes: If your restaurant donates a portion of profits to specific charities, you could reflect this commitment in your name.
  • Social or environmental issues: Using these themes serves as a conversation starter and a platform for education.

5. Allude to Your Menu

sign stating Hamburgers Eat

A well-crafted restaurant name that alludes to your menu can be a powerful marketing tool. If your restaurant specializes in a particular type of cuisine, crafting a name that showcases this instantly communicates to potential customers what they can expect when dining at your establishment. Your name should evoke the ambiance, flavors, and essence of the food you serve.

  • Be descriptive: Incorporate specific phrases, adjectives, or terms that directly relate to your menu to pique the interest of those seeking a specific culinary experience.
  • Highlight your specialties: Choose a name that encapsulates your signature dish or the types of food you serve.

6. Use Humor

pizza shop sign stating Pete's Za

A shared sense of humor is one of the easiest ways for people to bond, and by extension, a humorous restaurant name creates an immediate connection with potential customers. Choosing a clever or funny restaurant name makes patrons feel a sense of familiarity and warmth toward your brand before even setting foot inside your establishment. Your name will be a conversation starter, prompting customers to share their discovery with friends and family. It also presents immediate merchandising opportunities. T-shirts, mugs, and other items featuring your restaurant's witty name can serve as additional revenue streams and further solidify your establishment as a destination in your market.

  • Jokes: Choose a name that is goofy, strange, or even absurd. It should be something that catches the eye of customers and makes them want to see what your business is all about.
  • Puns: Develop a play on words related to the foods you serve.
Back to Top

Coming up with a catchy restaurant name for your new establishment can be a daunting task. You want your restaurant name to reflect the tone of your restaurant as well as your personal preferences. Of course, the final decision is up to you, and while customers might be initially intrigued by the name, they’ll stay for your delicious food and great service.

The information provided on this website does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice. Please refer to our Content Policy for more details.
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  • How to Open a Restaurant

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We've listed common ways that new restaurants advertise their brand below: Build a website: Your restaurant website should be easy to navigate, and the design should represent your brand. Include basic information, including your address, phone number, hours, and menu. Though you can hire a professional to create your website, you can make one with user-friendly hosting platforms like Wix, Squarespace, or WordPress. List your restaurant online: Registering with Yelp, Tripadvisor, and Google My Business makes it easy for potential guests to find your restaurant information. Guests can also leave reviews after visiting, which increases your authority and appeal. Embrace social media: Maintaining a social media presence is essential for modern restaurants. Create Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts to share news, photos, and tidbits about your restaurant. TikTok has also gained popularity in recent years, proving to be an effective way of engaging with customers. 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  • How to Make a Menu

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Use “The Golden Triangle” The Golden Triangle refers to the three areas on your menu that most customers tend to look at first. Dedicate the highest rent areas of your menu to your most popular items and the dishes with the highest profit margin. Once you decide which sections to place in the Golden Triangle, you can figure out how to lay out the rest of your menu items. Middle: Most customers look at the middle of your menu first, making it a great location to put your specials or limited menu items. Top Right: The second place your eyes tend to go is the top-right corner of the page. Many restaurateurs place their entrees or main course items here. Top Left: Since people look in the top-left corner third, this is a common location for appetizers and other high-profit impulse purchases. Create Menu Sections When creating the different sections on your menu, consider how many menu items you have and their natural groupings. For example, some restaurants divide their main course section into entrees and sandwiches. Others break it down further into beef, chicken, pork, and seafood sections. Be as specific as possible when creating menu sections so your customers can easily find something appealing to their tastes. Here are a few other restaurant menu ideas you should consider when choosing your layout: Create a separate menu for desserts: Studies have shown that customers are less likely to order both an appetizer and dessert if both are on the main menu. A separate dessert menu allows you to leave it on your tables for customers to browse throughout their meal. Have a specialized beverage menu: Creating a separate beverage menu declutters the main menu at restaurants with an extensive beverage selection or special holiday menu. Keep popular non-alcoholic beverages on the main menu, such as soft drinks, iced tea, or lemonade. Identify vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free items: If your establishment has a large selection of vegetarian, vegan, or gluten-free options, add dedicated sections for those items to help customers with alternative diets find them easily. Draw attention to specials: Place a box or border around specials and seasonal menu items to help them stand out to customers. Reduce the number of pages: Long menus with a high page count can overwhelm customers, so curate your menu to keep it simple. If your restaurant design has a modern or contemporary aesthetic, try using a large-sized page or a non-traditional design. 2. Choose a Menu Design Choose a style that reflects your business's concept and appeals to your customers. If you need inspiration, check out some of these prevalent styles from established restaurants: Upscale: Upscale menus only contain a few items on the page. They have few or no images on the page and feature a detailed, stylish font. Child-friendly: Menus at family-friendly restaurants have many pictures and bright colors that capture children's interest. Use a large font that is very easily readable and scannable. Modern: Modern menus vary depending on the restaurant's theme, but they are often sleek with compelling designs, custom images, and stylish fonts. Nostalgic: Nostalgia is a marketing tool with increasing popularity across business sectors, including restaurants. These menus have a rustic and old-fashioned style with multiple images on each page and large font to accommodate older customers. Back to Top 3. Write Up Your Menu Many specific design elements go into styling your menus, allowing you to give your menu a personality and character. Similar to your layout, your design helps persuade customers to buy specific high-value items. Images, fonts, descriptions, and colors play a role in influencing patrons to try something new. Describe Your Food Writing appetizing menu descriptions persuades your customers to try something new, provides information for guests with food allergies or alternative diets, and helps customers find a dish that appeals to them. If you use unique names for your dishes or serve international specialties, writing menu descriptions helps your customers identify and preview the dish. Use your descriptions to list the ingredients in the dish and describe the taste and texture of the food. For example, use adjectives to make it sound more appetizing instead of simply listing all of the ingredients in the meal. Use Images in Your Menu Adding images to your menu shows your customers what to expect by providing a preview of the dish. However, too many pictures might cause customers to associate you with low-quality, low-cost establishments with similar menus. Use these helpful tips to effectively utilize images on your menu: Use the highest-quality pictures available. If your images are grainy or out of focus, customers will have a negative impression of your establishment. Stick to no more than two images on one page unless you're a family-friendly establishment. Include images of your most popular or high-value items to pique your customers' interest, making them more likely to order that dish. If you have multiple locations or you own a franchise, consider paying a professional food photographer to take staged images of your food. If you're updating your menu, check social media for customer-posted pictures. Make sure to contact the owner and ask permission before using them. Choose a Color Scheme The colors on your menu represent your restaurant and brand, so choose them carefully. They also affect your guests' appetites. For example, bright colors like red, yellow, and orange increase people's appetites, while blue and purple make customers less hungry. Your menu colors should complement each other to create a consistent theme. Matching your established brand, represented by your logo, creates a holistic image in your patrons' heads. Avoid creating stark color contrasts, especially if you cater to a specific customer segment. Pick a Menu Font and Typography Typography is often overlooked when designing a menu, but a carefully chosen font establishes a brand image, provides a positive first impression, and facilitates sales. Use these few tips to pick the best font for your menu: Write menu items in a larger font than your prices. If your prices are too prominent, customers will scan for the cheapest item instead of what appeals to them the most. Use uppercase and bolded letters for your item names, and write with lowercase and regular styling when describing the dish. Since the dollar sign makes customers less likely to make large purchases, consider removing them from your menu. Increase font size if your primary demographic is older or very young. Use uniform typography throughout your menu. Multiple different fonts on one menu create an unprofessional and tacky perception of your establishment. 4. Print and Display Your Menu Once you finish designing your menu, print and insert them into your menu covers. Menu Sizing Before printing your menus, decide what size works best for them. Consider the layout you've chosen, the size of your font, and the number of items on your menu. You can also use table tents instead of traditional menus to display dessert or drink options. Below are some common sizes that restaurant owners use for their menus: Lunch Menu: 8.5" x 11" Dinner Menu: 8.5" x 11", 8.5" x 14", or 11" x 17" Drink or Dessert Menu: 4.25" x 11", 4.25" x 14", or 5.5" x 8.5" Printing Your Menus Print enough menus so every customer can browse at their own pace. Use this helpful guide to estimate how many menus to print: Menu Type Number Per Person / Table Number Per Restaurant Breakfast Menu 1 Per Person 75% of Your Seating Capacity Lunch Menu 1 Per Person 75% of Your Seating Capacity Dinner Menu 1 Per Person 75% of Your Seating Capacity Dessert Menu 1-2 Per Table 50% of Seating Capacity Wine List 1 Per Table 1-10 Menus Check Presenter 1 Per Table 1 for Each Table + 10% Back to Top Other Menu Design Tips Create symbols for specialty diet items, such as vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, or sugar-free dishes to help customers find something that meets their alternative diets. Additionally, scan your completed menu and put a digital version on your website, especially if your business has a delivery or take-out service. Make sure the menu is mobile-friendly for potential customers searching on their phones or tablets. Menu Design Checklist Menu design can seem intimidating, but the process boils down to a few simple steps. We highlight some best practices for designing a menu to make it easy for your customers to use and to help facilitate sales below. The menu at your restaurant speaks volumes about your establishment and the cuisine you offer. A dull and lackluster menu may not attract many sales, whereas a creatively designed and thoughtfully curated menu can captivate your guests and lead to increased sales. Therefore, consider these innovative restaurant menu concepts when creating a fresh menu for your restaurant or revamping your current one with a new look, seasonal offerings, or the the latest food trends.

  • How To Host A Restaurant Soft Opening

    You’ve successfully purchased a location and transformed it into a brand new restaurant. The space is furnished, the kitchen is stocked, and the menu is written. What’s next? How do you get your restaurant in business? If you plan to open a new restaurant, consider hosting a series of soft openings, or soft launches, to give your staff and kitchen equipment a test run before officially opening your doors to the public. If the coronavirus has forced you to temporarily shut your doors, you can ease back into the business by hosting a soft opening when you're ready to reopen your restaurant. We explored some options and tips for a soft opening that can lead to a successful grand opening. Click below to learn more about each aspect of hosting a restaurant soft opening: Soft Opening Advantages and Disadvantages Soft Opening Invitations Soft Opening Menus How to Create a Neighborhood Presence How to Collect Feedback What Is a Soft Opening? A soft opening or soft launch is the opening of a business for a limited number of people at first to test its services and make improvements. While a grand opening occurs on the actual day your restaurant opens its doors to the public, a soft opening is a beta test that happens well before your restaurant officially opens. There are several advantages and some disadvantages to hosting a soft opening. Advantages of a Soft Opening A soft opening is not a requirement, but there are clear advantages of hosting one before fully opening your doors. Here are some of the major advantages: Get feedback: Collect comments directly from customers on the food, drinks, service, and overall atmosphere. Iron out logistics of your location: Focus on evaluating the seating capacity, the flow of the space, the point-of-sale system, and the kitchen equipment. Prepare the staff: Allow staff to practice menu knowledge and learn how to be a good server, creating consistency among staff members. Build anticipation: Get the word out about your new location by encouraging guests to tell their friends about their experience. Make adjustments: Implement the feedback and tweak things that could use improvement before opening. Disadvantages of a Soft Opening It is important to note that there are some disadvantages to hosting a soft opening: Creates urgency to open: A soft opening should be hosted with a grand opening date in mind. That date should not be too long after the soft launch or else the hype will die down, and your customers may forget or lose interest. Exposes ideas to competitors: A soft launch exposes your ideas to the world which may end up in the hands of a competitor. Delay your grand opening too long, and they may have a chance to implement those ideas before you open. Potential low-quality feedback: Hosting a friends and family restaurant soft opening may not provide you with the best feedback. Those closest to you may want to spare your feelings when it comes to criticisms, so encourage them to be open and honest with constructive feedback, or invite additional guests outside of your inner circle. Soft Opening Invitation The soft opening invitations you send out are an important part of enticing people to test out your restaurant. Depending on how many people you are inviting and your style, you can either email the invite for a more casual feel or send a physical invitation in the mail for something more upscale. Don’t forget to choose a memorable design to grab your guests’ attention. Regardless of how the invitation is sent, the expectations for the event should be listed. Here is a list of what to include on a soft launch invitation: Date Time Address Pricing: Free, Flat Rate, or Menu Pricing RSVP Method and Date Dress Code Timing and Capacity It may be difficult to gauge how many people you can handle for your soft opening. Some locations have all of their guests served during the same time slot. However, staggering the guests provides a realistic flow of service in your location. A common number of guests to invite in a night is usually 100 people, broken up into different time slots. For example, if your event begins at 6 p.m., you would invite 25 people to arrive at 6 p.m., 25 more to arrive at 6:30 p.m., and so on. With this concept, your staff also gets practice serving different stages of a meal at once. One aspect to decide upon is if you will be allowing walk-ins and how many extra people you can fit in your location at a given time. By inviting people beforehand while still allotting space for more, you can gauge how your restaurant handles both your reservation system and walk-in crowds. Building a Soft Opening Guest List You may be tempted to open your doors to the public right away for your soft launch. However, who you invite can have a strong impact on your success moving forward. Invite Familiar Faces Friends and family are much more forgiving in the event of rough patches during your soft opening. A crowd of familiar faces will give you constructive criticism, offering insight while being aware that this is, in fact, a test run. Just remind them to be honest, since friends and family are also more likely to try and spare your feelings. By inviting people you know, it's easier to follow up with them for critiques. This allows you to assess your strengths and weaknesses to make those final tweaks before opening to the public. Familiar faces are also more likely to provide you with free advertising and help build anticipation before you officially open. Contact Local Business Owners To introduce themselves to local business owners, many restaurant owners will host a soft opening event just for the surrounding businesses in their area. A soft opening is usually a restaurant’s first introduction to the local community, making it a great time to create a strong first impression with other local business owners. By hosting a meal or happy hour just for local businesses, you’re expressing an interest to contribute to the established community you have joined. In doing so, you might earn some bookings for upcoming events and meal slots. Forming professional relationships with other community businesses is vital to your success, so be sure to make a strong first impression. Reach Out to Community Leaders and Influencers Prominent local leaders and community influencers are great guests to invite to a restaurant soft opening. These individuals have lots of pull within a local community, meaning that they can generate positive word-of-mouth advertising. Community leaders and influencers often have followings of people that other community members don’t have. Positive reviews from these important individuals can raise your restaurant’s reputation and launch your business with a running head start. Just be prepared to pull out all the stops to impress these people, as their words have a lot of weight behind them and negative reviews from them can do more harm than good. How to Make a Soft Opening Menu Once you’ve decided that a soft opening is a good option for your establishment, the next step is to put together a menu for the occasion. There are a few factors to decide upon before you can host your soft opening. Each type of soft opening menu has pros and cons, so it's up to you to decide which type of soft opening menu best fits your establishment. 1. Full Menu Soft Opening For those restaurants that are close to their grand opening date, offering a full menu soft opening may be the perfect beta test before your actual launch. Offering your restaurant’s complete menu during a soft opening provides a comprehensive overview of the establishment, allowing you to get feedback on all of your dishes. A full menu soft opening will provide you with the most relevant and precise feedback, as the soft opening essentially simulates how your grand opening will go. Although serving your entire menu at a soft opening provides great feedback, there are some drawbacks to hosting such an intricate event. You need to be fully prepared to host a full menu soft opening, meaning that every aspect of your restaurant needs to be ready to launch. A soft opening with an all-encompassing menu also makes it difficult to pinpoint problem areas and mistakes, as you’re testing so many aspects at once. Full menu soft openings provide great feedback, but hosting one likely won’t be the smoothest process unless you’re completely ready for the challenge. 2. Spotlight Signature Dishes from the Menu To ensure that your restaurant stands out from Day 1, serve signature dishes during your soft opening that give guests something to talk about. If you have dishes that are specifically made to match your theme, your soft launch is the perfect time to showcase them. This is also a great time to release a beta menu. This means you only display a few dishes but let your customers know that more additions to the menu are coming, giving them a reason to return after your grand opening to try more food options. By test running your signature dishes, you have a chance to provide your customers with a memorable meal but also make minor adjustments before your doors are open. You can also host multiple soft opening events featuring different parts of the menu each time, which we will explore further. 3. Target a Time Span There is no exact formula on the timeline a soft opening should take, however, the general time frame ranges from 3 days up to two weeks. Your time span will help you determine how many events to have within that time and what to serve on which days. Two soft opening strategies are outlined below that may work for your establishment. Three-Day Strategy: This style is more of an intimate sneak peek and is usually done through personal invitation. Day 1: A cocktail hour featuring appetizers and beverages for friends, family, and local business owners Day 2: A breakfast and lunch meal for friends and family Day 3: A dinner meal for friends and family One to Two-Week Strategy: Think of this as a multi-course meal served over the span of several days. This requires a bit more advertising. Two nights of full menu service for just friends and family One night of full menu service for local business owners One day to launch a breakfast menu that is open to the public One day to feature Sunday brunch that is open to the public One day to serve a lunch menu that is open to the public One day to launch a dinner menu that is open to the public One night of Happy Hour that is open to the public 4. Pick a Pricing Strategy Restaurant menu pricing for a soft opening varies from case to case. Some restaurants offer completely free food, a discounted menu, or a meal selection limited to just a few full-priced options. If you plan on charging full price, be sure to include freebies as a ‘thank you’ for guests' input. This is a good way to have customers try a variety of menu items that they may not have selected to purchase with their meal. These selections can include an appetizer or dessert sampler platter, a drink flight, or your signature cocktail free of charge. If you do choose to provide a completely complimentary event, just be conscious of your budget so it doesn’t end up hurting you rather than helping. Back to Top Create a Neighborhood Presence with a Restaurant Soft Opening Integrating your business into the local neighborhood is an important part of establishing a loyal customer base. Creating a neighborhood presence before your grand opening date allows you to get a head start on forming connections with community members who may one day become your regular customers. Opening Events Turning your restaurant’s soft opening into a community event goes a long way in establishing roots in your local community. If possible, try incorporating entertainment like live music, photo booths, or games, turning your soft opening into a celebration. Guests will be more likely to come when there are other amenities present. Also, turning your soft opening into a community event may boost attendees’ enjoyment of the event and help establish important connections with local patrons. Showcase Your Business Before Opening By announcing your restaurant's presence before officially opening your doors to the public, you'll build anticipation leading up to your grand reveal. What better way to do so than with a live showcase of your menu during your soft opening? Consider operating your own grab-and-go stand that customers can swing by to extend your restaurant services prior to opening. If that option isn't available, seek out other local opportunities to grant a sneak peek at your food. Are there any local food shows or community events you could feature a stand at or cater to get your name known? These restaurant marketing tactics speak volumes more than any flyer or social media posting. Collect Feedback From Your Soft Opening Once you have finished preparing for your soft opening by selecting a menu, inviting your guests, and reaching out to your community, there is one critical step left: collect feedback. The feedback gathered from your guests during your soft launch is extremely valuable in order to make improvements before you open to the public. It is for that reason that your feedback should be gathered in writing. If just spoken to a server during the event, the details of the feedback may be forgotten. Instead, you can hand out a feedback form with the check at the end of the meal and even offer coupons for completed forms. Feedback from your soft opening can help make sure your grand opening is a success. Back to Top A soft opening may feel like an additional step delaying you from opening your doors, but it can be highly valuable to your restaurant’s success. It provides the opportunity to find areas of improvement and get in some much-needed practice before officially opening your establishment. When planning for your soft launch, be sure to select your menu and guest list wisely to make the most of the experience.