Quarreling over a restaurant name

What name do you like best?

  • Silence of the Hams BBQ

    Votes: 9 6.4%
  • Motor City Smoke

    Votes: 42 29.8%
  • Hot Hogs BBQ

    Votes: 5 3.5%
  • True Blue BBQ

    Votes: 24 17.0%
  • Mr. Porky's BBQ

    Votes: 2 1.4%
  • Lots-O-Napkin's BBQ

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Wild About Q' BBQ

    Votes: 4 2.8%
  • The Prized Pig BBQ

    Votes: 13 9.2%
  • Pig N' Out BBQ

    Votes: 36 25.5%
  • Down to the Bone BBQ

    Votes: 6 4.3%

  • Total voters
    141
The silencing of the lambs was her over coming deep mental trauma caused by the death of her parents and subsequently the lambs that were being slaughtered (the death of her innocence).

Are you willing to play "slaughter house music" and put "tuck-meat" on the menu? If you are willing to go that far... then it is a good name. A lot of people will already associate the joint with these things.
 
Alright here it is. My father and I are looking at starting up a carryout BBQ restaurant. We've gone through and done a lot of investigative work that it takes to both start a business and open a restaurant. We've got costs estimated and spread-sheeted, we've looked at vendors, created and re-created and re-created again a menu for the joint.

We've been able to cooperate with one another through nearly every aspect of this process but one, the name. It started out as an "I'm not sure about that choice" to a full scale disagreement. Normally my father is the more stubborn of the two, however, I'm the horse bucking back on this one.

Many people, I feel enough, have seen the move "Silence of the Lambs". "Hello Clarisse". Now, the name I want to use plays off of the title of the movie. I want to call the restaurant "Silence of the Hams BBQ" since we're featuring a pork-heavy menu. I came up with the name watching the movie one evening and I find it to be clever, unique and catchy. Clientele in my mind will get the connection, laugh at it's cleverness and still have no trouble dining with us. My father however (and my mother for that matter) find the name to be clever yet overly disgusting and ultimately bad for business. They're also trying to convince me that other people will be thoroughly disgusted by the name and not want to carryout at a restaurant that makes connections to a movie about a cannibal. I just think it is too clever to pass up.

Am I completely off base? Does the name "Silence of the Hams BBQ" turn you off to the point of not wanting to get food from a place with that name? Do you think it would detract other clientele? We have a plethora of other names, should I give up and accept something else?


I absolutely would NOT refer to that movie. I'd not want it associated in any way to a restaurant.

A cannibal?

Disgusting.

Bad, bad idea.




You asked for opinions.......
 
My vote is Motor City Smoke. You may even want to consider adding BBQ to further define what the name represents.
 
I like Pig N Out. A great way to convey a carry out business.

As for any reference to Silence of the Lambs...stay very far away from that. As others have said it would make a funny comp team name, but for s business you want to avoid any and all controversy. I'm a very easy going and hard to offend person, and I wouldn't eat at Silence of the Hams.
 
Restaurant names (even the carry-out kind) should have names that are short, sweet, descriptive, and roll off the tongue for word-of-mouth transfer. The Hams name, while somewhat witty, should only be used as a competition group name...not a restaurant. The only name that really fits the mold is Pig N' Out (I would leave off the 'BBQ', but that's just me). It's short, sweet, very descriptive of what's inside, and rolls off the tongue like so much honey. A great name that shouldn't be messed with.
 
The movie reference is a bad idea...... Keep it simple and don't get too cute is how would roll.
 
Here in Clarkston we have the wood shop with Kid rock as a silent investor, their food is just ok, they use a southern pride gasser, however the line is out the door for just ok food. lets do a spin off and call it it WOODSHACK., Name reconition or name confusion works real well everyone will think your part of the kid rock gang,
Your difficulty will be how your going to cook the food, county health and fire departments will not let you cook with just charcoal indoors, they will however let you use gas as a back up with charcoal, check your health department, so your cooker is your big obsticale.
 
Pig 'n Out doesn't limit you to pork, but does make a reference to the major item on your present menu while leaving it open to any changes in the future.

Motor City Smoke sounds like exhaust fumes to me.
 
I agree.

take a hint from Slows.

The most popular bbq joint in the area. (I am from the Det area too)

very simple name.

Dont go for a gimmicky name

Motor City Smoke is ok, but it might get confused with Memphis Smoke in the Royal Oak area
If I'm not mistaken they closed down.

Thanks everyone for the great suggestions thus far.
 
Ham is not what comes to my mind when talking bbq in fact ham is not what most consider bbq at all and many don't like ham, so ham is out, unless you want to stress smoked meats which is something different than bbq. Not really caring much for any of the names on the pole, and I would guess in your area you already have many businesses that use Motor City in there name, so it wont stick out in peoples minds. Go simple like what is your Dads name? You could take a back seat, and call it, fill in the blanks here,
__________ & Son bbq, just keep it simple.
Dave
 
Ham is not what comes to my mind when talking bbq in fact ham is not what most consider bbq at all and many don't like ham, so ham is out, unless you want to stress smoked meats which is something different than bbq. Not really caring much for any of the names on the pole, and I would guess in your area you already have many businesses that use Motor City in there name, so it wont stick out in peoples minds. Go simple like what is your Dads name? You could take a back seat, and call it, fill in the blanks here,
__________ & Son bbq, just keep it simple.
Dave

I agree Dave. Possibly also work in the name of the neighborhood you are in, like "Daves Bricktown BBQ" or something.
 
You sure came to the right place to ask.

I would venture a guess that the vast majority of Brethren have dreamed about doing what you are in the process of doing and have spent uncounted hours throwing around ideas for the perfect BBQ joint name.
 
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