What’s in a name?

Unique, quirky or plain amusing, restaurant names now come with a cool quotient tag

For restaurants, a lot can ride on a name. Making it deviant and novel is one of the best ways to make it instantly likeable and memorable. A witty play on words helps the restaurant to stand out and get a cult following, especially if the name ties back to the food served there. We asked five popular city restaurants with unusual names on what was the germ behind the idea.

Kaala Chashma, Thane

You guessed it right—this fun restobar is inspired by the Bollywood number, Kaala chashma jachda hai. Even their logo is inspired by the hand gesture that’s used to denote sunglasses. The ambience is quirky, fun and bright and does complete justice to their tagline, Eat At The Bright Side. Its owner Kabir Samtani tells us how the brand name has helped in marketing the place. “The idea was to have a fun, catchy name that would set the tone for the vibe of the place. Back then, the song Kaala chashma was popular and people were making TikTok videos with black shades on—that just did it for us. Since the cuisine served is modern Indian, we thought it would be a great idea for the dishes and drinks to have fun Bollywood names. People found it funny and quirky and once they were here, they began to relate to the restaurant and its menu, and took pictures, which in turn worked as effective marketing.”

Blah, BKC

In a short span, the recently-launched brunch cafe and bar is being discussed for its unusual name and Instagramable decor. Created and curated by  Hospitality’s Niketa Sharma and Dilip Rawat Dilip Rawat, the eatery’s name exudes a casual, easy vibe.

Niketa Sharma

“Blah is a name that’s great for conversation and for chilling. Millennial and Gen Z guests have given blah a different, hip and happening identity. We feel that the name has helped create  a distinct positioning for the city’s first brunch cafe, popularising casual dining for all ages and categories.”

Silly, Khar

The space has an al fresco section with a board that reads: If a mango falls on you, you’re blessed. So do not complain

When this place launched earlier this year, it immediately got noticed for its verdant vibe,  colourful interiors and of course, the name. Founder Karan Nohria says, “While developing the concept, our sole focus was to create a space where everyone can not only dine, but also belong. Everyone being their own silly self. Silly is a place to be yourself, whatever you want to be, whoever you want to be silly with.

The name got great traction and was an instant hit. It’s simple, small, easy to remember. The name defines that we are casual in our approach. It’s a place where you can spend the whole day, every day, for a coffee, drinks, breakfast or dinner. No dress code followed. This, along with our food and interiors, helped position the brand as an all-day place.”

Atrangii Skylounge, Sanpada

A popular restaurant space at Airoli Naka, this new sky lounge in Sanpada revved up Navi Mumbai’s dining and party scene with spectacular creek and sunset views. Shubhankar Kathe, Marketing and Operation Head, tells us, “The name Atrangii (meaning funnily weird) adds a feeling of uniqueness to the place, but we’ve also peppered the ambiance and the menu to be filled with funny moments for our guests.

Shubhankar Kathe

Initially, there was a lot of curiosity as to Kya hai yeh atrangii (what’s atrangii). They wanted to check out what was brewing here. This eagerness made us popular.” The brand, he says, is synonymous with a jolly atmosphere, which the founders think is a unique takeaway for every guest. It’s by harnessing this curiosity that several first timers, they claim, are now patrons of the brand.

Hitchki, Palladium, BKC, Thane, Powai and Ghatkopar

Walking down the nostalgic lanes of Bollywood through food and music, Hitchki, the Hindi word for hiccup, evokes memories of a time gone by. It’s about the sense of missing somebody, a place or an event, an incident from the past, a particular song, and Bollywood at large. Dishes with names like aaj mere paas paneer hai chilli hai, till chahta hai, ek baar jo maine chicken crispy kar di, and tiger jhinga hai  take things a notch further. Aji Nair, COO, Mirah Hospitality says, “An easy word to remember, and curiosity about the name got people hooked, and the regional food with a modern twist made them come back. The wordplay on the names of the dishes has helped us with brand recall, and to popularise special events faster. Also, all our social media creatives are around famous Bollywood dialogues and acts, which helps us connect with Bollywood buffs who remember dialogues of cult movies.”

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