What to name your business (Help)

[BigDaveBBQ]

For anyone that has named their BBQ restaurant or catering business,

Did you go with a name that meant something personal to you or a name that is more of who you are?

I need to submit my business license and I can't decide between the 2 names. My trailer should be here in January and the county has so much paperwork for me to complete beforehand.

One of the names is Buckethead BBQ, the nickname my late father called me and it is now what I call my son.

The other name is Honey Hole BBQ, which as I am sure 90% of you in here know, is a term thrown around for hunting and fishing.

What are your thoughts, let me know! I appreciate the feedback.

[Joe Black]

Personally, I would prefer Buckethead for its sentimental connections.

[SmoothBoarBBQ]

Honey hole probably means different things to different people, and some might find it a bit offensive / off-putting.

Buckethead BBQ is probably the better of the two options. Just be prepared to tell the story of why you named your business this way MANY times.

I named mine Smooth Boar BBQ as it was kind of a play on words...I was a tanker in the Marine Corps and the M1A1 tank has a smooth bore rather than a rifled bore. I really tried to come up with a way to incorporate both boar and bore, but I could never really make it work out without it being sloppy. So I have a lot of people asking me why I named it Smooth Boar and it's a fun story, but it really is quite niche.

Question : Do you have a logo concept for each of the names, or are you waiting until you decide on a specific name?

Good luck with your business and I hope everything works out well!

[Stlsportster]

The correct answer is not which means more to you (sorry). It’s which has a more marketable name, logo, and represents what you sell.

(See Mom all those years of marketing class did stick).

I get that it’s personal but it’s business. Make sure someone isn’t gonna be turned off by what they perceive you are trying to sell. Honey Hole to me could be twisted in a way you don’t want.

Buckethead is just a cute name to everyone else. Why should they care? How are you going to tie that into a logo? You serve food in buckets? Maybe bone buckets? Drink buckets?

Just don’t decide without thinking thru how that looks on a business card or in yelp!

By the way I don’t have a strong preference for or against either. I could probably come up with a few similar arguments against bucket head if I tried too.

The point is remember it’s a business.

[marubozo]

Choosing a name for a personal meaningful reason is always a nice touch, especially if it's a family run place or in a small town where people know your name. But ultimately it's got to be a business decision and choosing what will resonate with the customers and help attract business.

In your case I think both names are solid and you'd be successful with both. But on a personal note, when I read Buckethead BBQ, I immediately think of the guitarist wearing a KFC bucket on his head. I may be in the minority there, but just something to consider how someone who doesn't know about you or your nickname, that's where my mind goes first.

So think like a potential customer. What will they gravitate toward? Also think about logo and branding and how you'd incorporate each name that way.

[airedale]

Since about 20-30 years ago, it has been very important to be able to get an internet domain name that suits. From a quick search, it looks like bucketheadbbq.com is already registered. I also saw a bbq business called Buckethead's. So, given that you can't get the domain name I think Buckethead is probably out.

(The website is especially important for restaurants that will have a significant amount of takeout business because if potential customers can't remember the web site they can't order online.)

FWIW I agree that "Honey Hole" has real downside.

So I vote no on both.

[Stlsportster]

FWIW I googled Honey Hole.

I’ll be away for a few minutes. Please don’t knock.

[BBQ Bacon]

What's wrong with Big Dave's BBQ?

[thirdeye]

How about Famous Dave's..... Oops, already taken. :twitch:

I guess my point is there are plenty of restaurants that feature the owners name, and for a good reason.... it works. I think people remember last names better than first names since they are a bit more unique.

I've also noticed that the spelling of Barbecue, Barbeque, Bar-B-Que, BBQ etc., can add a unique flair to your logo, sign, or shirts worn in the restaurant.

Have you considered using the Buckethead nickname on the menu itself? Maybe have a Buckhead's Special, or Buckethead Baby Back Ribs.

[SmokinAussie]

Honey Hole BBQ is a definite "no" for me, but coming from outside the US, I see a lot of names on a lot of successful restaurants in the States that would never happen here.

Buckethead... Well, what is that saying about yourself? Is it self depreciating and despite the humour in it, does that convey a feeling that you are not really an expert and consequently the BBQ will probably suck?

If you do name it "Buckethead", like the other guys say, you'll have to capitalise on that and turn it into a strength with a "Buckethead Meal" and a "Buckethead Shake" and maybe one of those eating challenges like a Buckethead Burger Challenge etc. All that's going to take some serious marketing and outlay for the concept.

If you open without any of that, with a name like that, I'm probably going to look for a place with a more confident name that implies a bit of expertise and dedication to the art of BBQ.

Just my nickle's worth after 20 years of marketing. I've seen a lot of businesses fail and I knew they'd fail right out of the gate because they didn't think of it as a business.

[BigDaveBBQ]

Honey hole probably means different things to different people, and some might find it a bit offensive / off-putting.

Buckethead BBQ is probably the better of the two options. Just be prepared to tell the story of why you named your business this way MANY times.

I named mine Smooth Boar BBQ as it was kind of a play on words...I was a tanker in the Marine Corps and the M1A1 tank has a smooth bore rather than a rifled bore. I really tried to come up with a way to incorporate both boar and bore, but I could never really make it work out without it being sloppy. So I have a lot of people asking me why I named it Smooth Boar and it's a fun story, but it really is quite niche.

Question : Do you have a logo concept for each of the names, or are you waiting until you decide on a specific name?

Good luck with your business and I hope everything works out well!

Thanks for the feedback Smooth! I really do appreciate it and you are right. That may mean different things to people. Sometimes you forget that.

I do have a logo that I had designed for Buckethead. It is a picture of my son who is obsessed with sports, with the bucket on his head. The bucket is what we store all the balls in but now he wears it on his head and plays with the balls. I did this as a kid and now my son does it. The football has '65 on it which was my dads high school hall of fame induction year.

[BigDaveBBQ]

A lot of good feedback right from the rip. Thank you all.

[Radrob]

I agree and don't like either, too many ways that can go and especially now with the PC culture.

I'm cooking and played with free clipart (https://clipground.com/pic/get). Just a suggestion, the name says it all and beststopbbq.com is available.

https://i.ibb.co/bNg7bT8/bbq-clipart-PLAIN.png

[Shadowdog500]

What's wrong with Big Dave's BBQ?

+1! Big Dave’s BBQ sounds good, is memorable, is not offensive.
I think it’s a winner!

[Radrob]

+1! Big Dave’s BBQ sounds good, is memorable, is not offensive.
I think it’s a winner!

It's taken but he can change it to something other than .com
https://bigdavesbarbeque.com/

[SirPorkaLot]

One word of advice..
Don’t make it personal. Make it marketable.

(Can you get Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Website name?)





Okay I guess that’s more than one word.

[savagebrood]

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20191203/9eae1df2f92247ce756baa4ecf6b7edd.jpg

Mine is Savage Smoke. It’s my last name and also has a manly, aggressive connotation.

[thirdeye]

What is your impression of the (potential) competition? I did a search for your city and first off, The California market might work to your advantage, offer all the traditional Q offerings, but.... a pulled pork quesadilla for example, might rock, as would a brisket taco. It's a business after all.

But anyways, you have a Korean, Hawaiian, Mongolian, Back 40 Texas, and chain BBQ restaurants. Visit each one (at least twice), then adjust your business plan accordingly.

[Clay-b-que]

I like Big Dave’s BBQ too. Is bigdavesbbq.com taken? What about bigdavesq? Or Big D bbq! Well the last one people might interpret big d as something else....

[Shadowdog500]

Here are several variations that are available
For $5 a year it may be worth grabbing.
Your domain is available!
bigdavestexasbbq.com

Your domain is available!
bigdavescaliforniabbq.com


BigdavesBBQ.com is parked which means it is paid for but not in use. The domain service that has it could try to free it up for you.

[Sid Post]

Honey hole probably means different things to different people, and some might find it a bit offensive / off-putting.

...

Yes, the septic guy that took care of our farmhouse as a kid called it a "HONEY HOLE" too. :wink:

However, most people will associate the term as mentioned with a good hunting or fishing spot.

[SweetHeatBBQnSC]

This is an excellent thread and awesome job of brainstorming. Shadowdog where do you go to check on these domains?

[airedale]

Here are several variations that are available
For $5 a year it may be worth grabbing.
Your domain is available!
bigdavestexasbbq.com

Your domain is available!
bigdavescaliforniabbq.com


BigdavesBBQ.com is parked which means it is paid for but not in use. The domain service that has it could try to free it up for you.Yes. This is the way to approach the naming. Make it easy for customers to order takeout by giving them the domain name that they expect. (This means dot-com, not dot-net or some of the other new dot-suffixes.)

Grab related domain names too, and names that might involve customer misspelling like barbeque, barbecue, etc. And maybe a short name, too. National Camera Exchange is natcam.com.

godaddy.com is one registrar/place to check names. There are others.

Re "parked" domain name, this almost certainly means it is for sale. It's worth asking the price but usually these are expensive because the seller has reserved hundreds of names expecting that he will sell just a few of them and still make a profit.

[Mike Twangzer]

I like Buckboard BBQ

[mcyork28]

This site works well.

https://whois.net/

This is an excellent thread and awesome job of brainstorming. Shadowdog where do you go to check on these domains?

[thirdeye]

How about Famous Dave's..... Oops, already taken. :twitch:



http://www.christophertodd.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/IMG_1630-1024x952.jpg

Along the lines of nicknames/and real names......Would "Big Dave's 'Famous' Bar-B-Que" be a tacky of a twist on a successful franchise???? Or, would it stick in the minds of your customers because your food is better?

[Shadowdog500]

This is an excellent thread and awesome job of brainstorming. Shadowdog where do you go to check on these domains?

You can look at several places. Google domain name checkers and enter a domain name you want to use. I found the first few on godaddy and the ones on the second post at another domain checking site that came up.

For the price of a domain name it’s worth grabbing one that you think you may use.

[Sid Post]

This site works well.

https://whois.net/

That's a good one. :thumb:

[Sid Post]

http://www.christophertodd.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/IMG_1630-1024x952.jpg

Some good memories there when I lived in Huntsville!

[airedale]

... For the price of a domain name it’s worth grabbing one that you think you may use.Also grab similar names and common misspellings.

If you go with Buckethead or Big Daves, bbbq.com is for sale. That's a great one for takeout customers to remember, assuming you can afford ito buy it in addition to having a longer domain name.

[pitbossJB]

Are you planning to have a specialty? Or are you going to offer every BBQ item on the menu, you could always name it based on a premier item.