We Need To Talk About......Names

Some of you guessed from a cryptic line in a previous blog, that I am part of a team in the process of opening a restaurant. We are still in the ‘hush-hush’ stage whilst moving forward at pace.

All will be revealed when the time is right, or to quote a friend who I just got off the phone with, “it’s like Guinness chef, worth the wait!”.

These past few weeks have had me thinking about names, I have had countless conversations and at times been moved to find a wall for my forehead, but then one stops, breathes and realises that you can’t rush it. I am reminded of my brother and sister and the journey they went on to name my nephews. Sometimes waiting until you look at them is the only way forward - slightly different for a restaurant as that name is needed a touch earlier than opening night.

The one big loss in my career was St Alban, an absolute gem of a restaurant on Regent Street that I worked on from very early in the conception process. Everyone involved worked so hard to make it a success, but in the end it was not to be and I am reminded often by our loyal followers of how much they miss it.

There are a multitude of reasons behind a business failing. For us at that time it was, I believe, that we were not offering what our guests wanted from us, they were ultimately unwilling to come on the new journey we were trying to take them on. My evidence to this claim is to look at the style of the restaurants that company have since opened and their unmitigated success.

One area I do remember well was the effort we put into coming up with the name. So many meetings, brainstorms and late nights where we thrashed around names. The sense-checking with friends and family and those we trust to be involved without ‘leaking’ information. Designing logos, looking at how the name would look on a menu mock up or a book of matches and how we would get it to the top of page one of Google. So much effort.

I then look at one of the most amazing names for a restaurant, Sexy Fish. A name that tells you what to expect before walking in.

I can’t share the process involved in naming this restaurant in any detail. I think it is genius even though I couldn’t see that when I first heard it. All I can say is that I doubt a branding agency was used nor do I think a committee came up with it!

imagesX9014N1gramercy tavern

34 pic

Is a name meant to evoke the experience you should expect or how you should feel about a restaurant, like Gramercy Tavern or Spring? Should it tell you where it is and in doing so demonstrate a quiet authority like 34, Portland or Blue Hill at Stone Barns? I could of course list hundreds of names to demonstrate this or any point made.

blue hill logo

portland-first

Spring Restaurant Skye Gyngell London

The reality is how the name makes the owner feel will affect how the staff feel about the restaurant and these ultimately contribute to how the restaurant makes the guest feel.

The staff see straight through an owner who is not completely committed and dedicated, this leads to the guests seeing straight through the whole thing.

When I think back to restaurants that did not make it, I don’t think the name was ever the issue.

None of this is helping me with our name however, and although I did think about taking to social media for help, well, for a second maybe - I think it is ultimately best to focus on what we want you to feel when you come to experience our hospitality and to stand next to, behind and in front of those who will be helping us offer that to you.

Now, where is that Guinness…….