Restaurant Name Generator (+ How to Find the Perfect Name)

Quick service restaurants can be chains, like Shake Shack and Chipotle, or local eateries, like your favorite barbecue spot or Indian takeout. Names in this category tend to be mouthwatering and give a vivid idea of what style of food they serve. They should also be easy to spell using a smartphone keypad, so they will be easy for customers to find on delivery apps, like UberEats, Postmates, and DoorDash.

A “lab” restaurant is typically a casual spot. (Source: Long Beach Beer Lab)

Some popular words that immediately suggest quick service are:

• Cafeteria: This term is double-edged. It is used as a name for a food hall where customers serve themselves, but some high-end eateries specializing in comfort food use it, too.
• Canteen: Traditionally a snackbar on a military base, canteen is a fun word to signify quick restaurants that don’t take themselves too seriously. Cantine and cantina are popular French and Spanish alternatives, respectively.
• Garden: This is a popular term for informal Pan-Asian restaurants with names like Hong Kong Garden, Ginger Garden, and Thai Garden. It denotes a family-friendly atmosphere, as in the continuously popular Olive Garden.
• Joint: Casual and fun with a jukebox playing in the corner. You’ll probably want to include the type of food you’re serving in the restaurant name to get across what people can expect when they arrive at your restaurant.
• Lab: A lab is generally a low-price option that is slightly experimental. Boston’s Noodle Lab serves inexpensive bowls of broth that tie together the culinary traditions of Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia.
• Noodle: Gets straight to the point. There will be bowls of noodles here. This can be the end of a restaurant name, as in North Hollywood’s Pa Ord Noodle, or it can be followed by another restaurant word, like stop, shop, wok, etc., as in the Canadian restaurant Noodle Wok.
• Palace: This word sounds high-end, but you tend to see it most often used in the restaurant names of quick cooking, take-away spots, such as in Pizza Palace, India Palace, or China Palace.
• Shack: Shacks are fun, laid-back, and often have a beachy vibe. Avoid this term if you want your restaurant to be on the fancy side.
• Stand: A stand is a spot to quickly pick up food with little to no seating. Typically stands have no waitstaff, only counter staff.
• Stop: This calls to mind a small operation, and usually has a specific food attached to it like Burrito Stop, Ramen Stop, or Kebab Stop.
• Wok: Wok immediately calls to mind quick-cooked dishes from various Asian traditions.

If your restaurant concept has a waitstaff, but no tablecloths, you are entering casual restaurant territory. This is the world of Applebees, TGI Fridays, and your local pasta spot. Typical restaurants in this category are cafes, bistros, and chop houses.

A chop house usually serves grilled meats in a casual atmosphere. (Source: District ChopHouse)

Like a quick service restaurant, casual restaurants need a distinctive and descriptive name; Legal Seafoods is a great example. A casual eatery can take a bit more poetic license if inspiration strikes, however.

These are common words you’ll find in casual restaurant names:

• Bar: If you use the word bar in your restaurant name, you should be open late and serve plenty of different alcohol options. Bars are typically casual, and serve popular share plates, like loaded fries or nachos.
• Bar & Grill: A bar and grill is decidedly more extensive in service and menu than a plain, old bar. It is still a place where customers can expect a relaxed atmosphere and maybe a television above the bar.
• Cafe: People usually think of coffee and light fare when they hear this term in a restaurant name. It’s possible to dress this word up or down, though the word typically suggests a laid-back atmosphere. Putting a simple word in front of “cafe” can create a simple and memorable name for your restaurant, like Nashville’s Bluebird Cafe.
• Chophouse: A chophouse is a restaurant that specializes in steaks, chops, and similar dishes, and mainly focuses on traditionally cooked meats accompanied by fine wines and good ales. This word is good in combination with a location—like the Hanover Street Chophouse. Area codes and people’s names are also great fits here, like 801 Chophouse or Bob’s Steak & Chophouse.
• Diner: Diners are often very casual and serve a mix of breakfast foods and other classic American dishes. Quick, friendly service and late hours are the first things that pop into mind after hearing the word.
• Eatery: Eatery runs the gamut from laid back to upscale. Often refers to American food, but can also work for other types of cuisine. Names with “eatery” in them tend to rely on location to provide the rest of their title, as in the Thompson House Eatery or the Laconia Hill Eatery.
• Grill: Grill is a versatile word for a casual restaurant. Grills tend to also include their cuisine style in their name, as in Moe’s Southwest Grill or Tzatziki Greek Grill.
• Kitchen: The word “kitchen” implies an inviting, informal setting where patrons will enjoy dishes inspired by home cooking. They might also see food being prepared. Cocina, Cucina, and Küche are popular Spanish, Italian, and German versions.
• Pub: Pubs often offer deliciously greasy or cheesy bar food along with an extensive list of craft beers. Consider going a different route if you specialize in a different type of alcohol, or don’t serve beer at all. The Gastro Pub is a slightly more gourmet version of the pub trend, though restaurants tend to avoid using the word “Gastro Pub” in their name, and opt for simply “pub.”
• Tavern: A tavern is a higher-end bar. Taverns have more attentive service and more expansive menus than bars.

Fine dining restaurants create their own naming rules. A look across currently operating fine dining restaurants, as well as high-end restaurants throughout history, shows four basic naming trends: nouns, proper names, personal stories, and figures of speech. Unlike casual and quick service restaurants, fine dining restaurants tend not to include their type of cuisine or a word to define their style of service.

Here are some popular strategies for standing out in the fine dining realm:

(Source: Knife Restaurant)
Use a single noun: In English or any other language, simple nouns are popular for high-end restaurants. John Tesar named his Dallas Steak House simply, Knife. Burlington, Vermont restaurant Hen of the Woods is named after a single type of mushroom.

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(Source: Gwen Restaurant)
Pick a proper name: Proper nouns, like an uncommon family name, are also great here—think of Delmonico’s or Curtis Stone’s restaurants Gwen and Maude.

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(Source: The Lost Kitchen)
Tell a story: Personal stories are part of what creates a genuine connection with potential customers. If there is a way to work a piece of your personal story into your restaurant name, as did the Maine restaurant The Lost Kitchen, it can truly interest diners. San Francisco staple Chapeau! (exclamation point included), is a French restaurant whose name is inspired by the owner’s love of hats.

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(Source: Per Se)
Use a figure of speech: The story goes that chef Thomas Keller thought of the name for his New York City outpost Per Se when answering a question about his first restaurant, The French Laundry. He said something along the lines of “the new restaurant won’t be like the French Laundry per se…” and a restaurant name was born. Chicago restaurant Avec is simply French for “with,” and its Chicago neighbor Alinea is named after that funny paragraph symbol that means “the beginning of a new thought.”

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The best way to name a restaurant is to brainstorm a lengthy list of possible names, and then refine that list based on your service style, cuisine type, and other variables. With your short list in hand, search for conflicts with other restaurants in your area.

Unique restaurant names typically involve personal details like family names or words that hold special meaning for the restaurant owner. Some owners use the name of beloved pets or favorite childhood dishes. The most unique restaurant names tend to be the most personal. And personal names have the greatest chance of not conflicting with existing businesses.

Finding a good restaurant name has three major steps; brainstorming a list, refining the list, and researching potential conflicts with existing businesses. Using a restaurant name generator like the one above is a great way to complete the brainstorming step.

Using artificial intelligence (AI) is a fun way to brainstorm restaurant names, but it can’t be the only method you use to name your restaurant. AI platforms generate a lot of language quickly, but they are not equipped to check trademark databases or even look up the names of restaurants in your town to avoid overlap—so brainstorm away! But then, work through the additional steps of checking local restaurant names, social media, and online ordering platforms to refine your list.

You can trademark a restaurant name by registering with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). For small, independent restaurants that only plan to operate in a single location, the expense—usually between $500 to $1,000—of trademark registration is not always necessary.

A trademark can protect your restaurant name, logo, menu item names, or slogans affiliated with your brand. Trademarking is most important for restaurants that plan to franchise or otherwise expand into multiple locations, though small restaurants may still want to pursue trademarks too.

If you have spent time building your restaurant concept and don’t trademark your name, you could be forced to rebrand by a competing business that chooses to pursue a trademark. Registering a trademark is not a one-time process; you’ll need to renew your trademark every 10 years.