30 Cafe Name Ideas – How to Choose an inspiring name for your cafe?

The coffee industry is growing day by day with an increase in the ‘cafe culture’. Where tons of international coffee houses have taken over the market, there are still many entrepreneurs who are trying to compete by offering great alternatives to coffee lovers. If you too have decided to start your coffee shop but clueless on how to choose inspiring names your cafe, this article will help in getting the best cafe ideas. Choosing a name that is both unique and catchy is important to grab people’s attention and market a restaurant or cafe.

How to search the name of your coffee shop?

Here’s how you can find an inspiring name for your café:

1. Take Help From Name Generators Online

You can take help from a restaurant name generator for easy and relevant name options. These websites have an inbuilt feature of generating multiple names according to your requirements. All you have to do is enter general information like your name, your locality and type of business. Once you enter this, the website will display a long list of names in response to your input. Now, what if you want something more unique and quirky? You can switch to random names generator which put together random words to make it sound a bit cool and trendy. Choose the name which suits your café style and vibes, and can catch people’s attention.

2. Word-play experiment

You can try and experiment with wordplay to get a great idea for your cafe name. A famous restaurant owner in Texas named his café as ‘Sugar Bag’ because the first that he purchased for his new café was a bag of sugar. The name idea was completely random but inspiring. Similarly, Celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck named his earliest restaurant ‘Spago’, which is Italian slang for spaghetti. Business experts say that fun cafe names are easier to remember and sound better in word-of-mouth marketing.

3. Name It After Someone Special

Many of the restaurants and café owners think that it’s safe to choose a name after someone special. For example, the very famous ‘Wendy’s’ was named after the nickname of the owner’s daughter, Melinda Lou. Starting a business involves emotional connection and owners find it safe and happy to name it after their name or someone close to their heart.  That’s the reason Dave Thomas, founder of Wendy’s, named his restaurant after his 8-year-old daughter. And, we cannot deny the fact that today; Wendy’s is one of the well-loved fast-food chains around the country.

4. Pick a name that reflects your cafe.

If you want to highlight the environment of your café, it’s better to think of a name which reflects your café’s personality. For instance, if you want to start a lounge-type cafe where people could relax, have some great coffee and hear some music, a name like ‘Slow Roast’ can be a good idea to capture the essence of your establishment.

5. Name Your Cafe Based On The Locality

This may sound like a very commonly used idea for your cafe’s name but is effective in marketing. It helps your customers in remembering where you are located, and also works well for word-of-mouth marketing. You can use the street’s name, like ‘South Point Cafe’, which is located on South Point Street in North Carolina. Try and create a name with your locality.

6. Name It After Your Specialty Dish Or Beverage

It might sound a bit odd but naming your cafe after a specialty item you want to be known for is a simple way, to begin with. This also helps people in knowing what is available at your cafe. For example, a high-end restaurant or cafe will have a sophisticated and stylish name whereas a place serving fast-food will have a small, trendy and casual name. Try naming your cafe after the name of its specialty beverage or dish.

7. Use a dash of Humour

If nothing suits you, try making up a humorous name for your cafe. People find it easier to remember those names which are witty and funny. Cafe names like ‘The Bean Romance’, ‘Laughing Goat’ and ‘Sugar Therapy’ sound fun and stick longer in people’s mind. You can be extra creative and try to add puns in your cafe name. Punny names like ‘The Hottea’, ‘Deja Brew’ and ‘Thanks a Latte’ are some of the very creative examples to add humour in your cafe’s name.

Trademark and Claim

After you are done with the names selection process, make sure to do proper research to confirm if the name is registered by someone else or not. The first thing you should do is conduct an Internet search on the selected name. If that doesn’t show an issue, you should then have an attorney perform a state and national check on the name which you’ve selected for your cafe. Once you’ve confirmed your cafe name, begin with the branding and marketing. Have a huge sign made and displayed outside the door to your coffee house. Keep the design classic and simple, and make sure words like ‘Coffee House,’ ‘Coffee Shop’ or ‘Coffee Bar’ appear in bold letters. We understand that trendy fonts with calligraphic writings are attractive, but it’s hard to read decorative font while driving a car or walking the dog. You can hire a professional graphic designer to create a professional logo that helps your brand your cafe name.

Things to Keep In Mind When Selecting Cafe Name

• Keep it short and simple – Try avoiding lengthy names which are difficult to pronounce. If you want people to remember your business, then choose a name which is short, simple and easy to remember.

• Think about your audience – Is your cafe themed around a certain crowd of people? If this is the case, keep this in mind when thinking of your cafe name. Choose the name according to the theme and feel of your cafe. For example, if your cafe is focused on youngsters, a peppy and trendy name will be enough to drive in the crowd.

• Availability – Do proper research before finalizing your cafe name. Check whether the name is free to use or pre-occupied by another entrepreneur. Checking the availability of your establishment’s name is highly recommended because it’s better to take a safe start.

• Future Expansion – If you wish to expand or move your establishment in future, refrain from using names which include the name of the locality. This will save from creating any confusion for both you and your customers.

Here’s a list of 30 inspiring cafe names ideas which will help you in selecting an outstanding name for your cafe :

1. Aroma Mocha
2. Keen for Beans
3. Sugar Bag
4. Amanda’s Cafe
5. Hug a Mug Café
6. The Brew Legend
7. Café Gardenia
8. Stay Kaffeinated
9. The Brew Club
10. Slow Roast
11. Thank’s a Latte
12. Deja Brew
13. Express with Espresso
14. Beans from Brazil
15. Caffe e Pizze
16. Fumes
17. The Table
18. Jeffy’s Blends
19. Granny’s Handmade
20. The Bean Code
21. Drips and Bake
22. Kufe Castle
23. Get Thinking, Get Brewed
24. Sacred Grounds
25. Cocobean
26. Urban Street Café
27. TruCaff
28. Grinders Hub
29. Hot Rock Café
30. Cupps

Summing up

Choosing an inspiring name for your café can be a challenging task. Keep looking for inspiration around you, and it will be easy to come up with a catchy name. Don’t forget to check the availability of the name before finalizing it. Once you are done with that, hire a skilled graphic designer and start with logo designing and digital marketing.

What is your cafe name going to be?

Here is a bonus list of a funny coffee names:

• F’Coffee
• Jesus & Coffee – Amen
• Coffee before dudes