How to Name an Asian Fusion Restaurant

In recent years there has been controversy over restaurants appropriating from other cultures. If you're planning to start an Asian fusion 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.

You may already have some ideas for an Asian fusion restaurant name. If so, go ahead and write them down.

This will make it easy to narrow down the list later, while letting you jot down all ideas that may spark something later on.

If you’ve got a business plan for your Asian fusion restaurant, the research there should give you ideas for words, phrases, and concepts that fit your brand.

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 Asian fusion restaurants.

List the names of other Asian fusion restaurants and find the ones you like best. Ask yourself why you like them, how their owners might have come up with them, and how they are all similar.

Ingredients — especially less common ones — are a good source of ideas for names. Go through your ingredients and recipes to find words to add to your list.

Many Asian fusion restaurants are named after their owners. Adding a strong noun after the owner's name could work well. For example, "Ray's Wok," "Manu's Noodle House," or "Wen Ting's Kitchen."

The style of service and customer experience you are going for are great sources of names. If you're predominantly a place that serves tapas, then consider including "tapas" in the name. If it is a dine-in restaurant, think about using "dining room" or "restaurant." If it is a grill house, consider adding the word "grill." For example, "Guanxin Tapas," "Cebu Fine Dining," or "Tokyo Grill."

City and state names and nicknames can sometimes work well for a local Asian fusion restaurant, especially when combined with words relating to the origin of the recipes, the regions from where the ingredients come, etc. For example, "Saigon in Philly" or "NYC Pho."

A street name can help people find your Asian fusion restaurant, connect it to a neighborhood or sense of place, and make naming easy. For example, "Tang on Main" or "1st Street Teppanyaki."

Try combining various words from your list to see if they form any interesting names. Blend the first syllable from one word with the last syllable of another, for example.

NameSnack can help combine your ideas and make associations you might not have thought of.

See if there are any others that stand out, and mark them.

In trying to create a memorable and distinctive name for your Asian fusion restaurant, you might accidentally create offense. It is important to avoid stereotypes.

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.

Find ways of surveying people who are in your target audience, perhaps by visiting potential locations for your restaurant at lunch and dinner hours.

Read your names to friends and colleagues and get their take on your Asian fusion restaurant names. Come back a day or two later and see which ones they still remember.

Use a site like Namecheap to see which of your top business name ideas have related URLs available.

If the business name is already in use for a similar business in your state, it's likely you won't be able to use it.

Google your favorite Asian fusion restaurant names to see if there are any other well-known businesses with the same name, or if there are some associations you hadn’t thought of.

Search the United States Patent and Trademark Office's trademark database to see if any trademarks have been registered under the same or a similar name.

You can do this through sites like Namecheap.

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.

This offers additional protection from other businesses using your restaurant's name.