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How to Name a Thai Restaurant:
Step-by-step guide to coming up with an appealing and inviting name for your Thai restaurant.
Be respectful.
You should be very familiar with Thai culture.
In recent years there has been controversy over restaurants appropriating from other cultures. If you're planning to start a Thai restaurant that serves food from a culture that you're not a part of, you'll want to do your homework and make sure that the name and restaurant, in general, will be received well by the community.
Start a list.
Write down any ideas you already have.
You may already have some name ideas for your Thai restaurant. If so, go ahead and write them down.
Highlight or star your favorites as you go.
This will make it easy to narrow down the list later, while letting you jot down all ideas that may spark something great.
The words you add to the list don’t have to be fully formed Thai restaurant names. They can be words or concepts related to Thai food and the restaurant business that help you get to the final name.
Perform essential research before you name your Thai restaurant.
Review your business plan.
If you’ve got a business plan for your Thai restaurant, the research there should give you ideas for words, phrases, and concepts that fit your brand.
Talk to likely customers.
This is something you’ll want to do, no matter what, to learn more about the people you’ll be catering to. While you’re meeting with them, be sure to write down words, phrases, and concepts that they associate with Thai food and restaurants.
Brainstorm region-specific vocabulary.
Try city names and nicknames.
City names and nicknames can sometimes work well for a restaurant. For example, "Thai Style Seattle" or "Emerald City Thai."
Consider your street name if you’ve already got a location.
A street name can help people find your restaurant, make naming easy, and connect your business to a neighborhood or sense of place. For example, "Bangkok on 1st St."
You'll want to be sure you'll be at this location for a long time. You don't want to call yourself "Thai on Main Street" if you have to move to 3rd St. a few years later.
Review local landmarks.
Local landmarks can be another great way to tie your restaurant to its location. For example, "Times Square Thai."
Review words specific to Thai food and culture.
Review the names of dishes and ingredients.
Look through the dishes on your menu and think about their ingredients. List names of recipes and interesting ingredients that you find appealing or intriguing.
Consider regions and places relevant to your cuisine.
If your cuisine is region-specific or your signature dishes are specific to one city or place, consider incorporating a geographic reference in your business name.
Think about related cultural ideas.
Think about the experience you want to offer your customers and look for cultural references that could provide a sense of what to expect.
Always check that you don't use terms that can be misinterpreted or considered offensive.
Use a thesaurus.
Look up synonyms and list any related terms you find intriguing or appealing.
Look for puns.
Review your list of keywords and see if anything lends itself to a clever joke or pun.
Create more name ideas from your list.
Combine words from the list.
Try combining various words from your list to see if they form any interesting names.
Use a name generator.
NameSnack can help combine your ideas and make associations that you wouldn't have thought of.
NameSnack's AI will prompt you to add different words. You can try adding them all, or go with smaller groups.
Write down any Thai restaurant names you like.
NameSnack will also tell you if the domains are available. Check the ones that have domains off on your list.
Review and reflect.
Read through your list again.
See if there are any other names that stand out, and mark them.
Set the list aside for a day or two.
Come back with fresh eyes and see which names stand out. Also, see which names you still remember. This may give you a clue as to which ones are most memorable.
Create a shortlist.
Pick your top 5 names from the list of ideas.
Get feedback on your top Thai restaurant names.
See what potential customers think of the names.
Talk to people that would be likely to eat at your restaurant to see which names they like. Get specific, going to places they are likely to be, such as a street corner near a possible location around lunchtime.
Look up and engage with local foodie groups on Facebook to get some feedback on your top name choices.
Test the names on friends and colleagues.
Read your names to friends and colleagues, and get their take on your Thai restaurant names. Come back a day or two later and see which ones they still remember.
Check availability.
See if the web domain name is available.
Use a site like Namecheap to see which of your top business name ideas have related URLs available.
See if the name is already in use in your state.
If the business name is already in use for a similar business in your state, it's likely won't be able to use it.
Check the names on Google.
Google your favorite Thai restaurant names to see if there are any other well-known Thai restaurants with the same name, or if there are some associations you hadn’t thought of.
Search the USPTO trademark database.
Search the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) trademark database to see if any of your top choices and similar names are already trademarked.
Get the name.
Buy the domain name.
You can do this through sites like Namecheap.
Register the business name with the state.
You'll need to register the name in your state once you've chosen it. In most states this is fast and easy, and can be done online.
Consider trademarking the name.
This offers additional protection from other businesses using your Thai restaurant name.
Learn more about trademarking your business name.
Thai Restaurant Business Names
