Are you about starting a catering business but lack ideas on a name to choose? If YES, here are 10 smart tips for coming up with catchy catering business names. You have come up with a great catering business idea. You have done your market research, and everything looks great. From multiple indications, your catering service has bright chances of success. And it can fetch you huge profits in the long term, provided you play your cards right.
But each time you sit down to think about a suitable name for your catering business, you end up stuck. You have considered using your name, but you think that’s not too good. The idea of having a brandable name like Amazon, Google, and Yahoo seems alluring to you, but you just couldn’t arrive at any. And sometimes, you go with the recommendation that your Business Name suggest what your business offers, but you still can’t arrive at a name you are satisfied with.
So, if you are finding it hard to come up with a catchy name for your catering business, here are 10 guidelines that will help you arrive at a name that you and your customers will love.
10 Tips for Coming Up With Catchy Catering Business Name ideas
1. Make it unique and memorable
Great business names are usually unique, and they tend to “stick” in people’s memories. You don’t have to rack your brain to remember names like Hotmail, McDonalds, Chitika, Walmart, and so on. Once you have encountered these names, you will most likely remember them any time you need to.
A unique name stands out from the crowd and tends to remain fresh over time. So, you may not necessarily go with any business naming trend because trends are subject to change.
2. Avoid unusual or confusing spellings
When choosing a name for your catering business, stay clear of spellings that can be confusing to spell. For example, a name like “Phurrier” can be misspelled as “furrier” or “phurria” by someone trying to remember it. This is because there are many possible ways to spell the name from its pronunciation.
So, even if you are trying to settle for a unique name, make sure it can be easy to spell by someone who hears the name. Avoid acronyms that mean nothing to most people. Choose something simple and straightforward.
3. Keep it short
The shorter your business name, the better. It is recommended that you limit the name of your catering business to two syllables. Stay clear of hyphens and other special characters that people are unfamiliar with. And use as few letters as possible. Shorter names are easier to pronounce and remember.
4. Make some sense
Some successful businesses have names that are nonsense words. Examples include Fogdog, Google, and Yahoo. Though such names could be brandable, they could be risky. You need to consider other implications before choosing such names.
For example, Colgate found it hard to market their products in Spain and other Spanish-speaking countries because the name “Colgate” translates into Spanish as “Go hang yourself.” So, since these names can have negative connotations, you should stay clear of them unless you are sure there won’t be any problems. To be on the safe side, choose a name that makes clear sense to everyone.
5. Ensure the name is available
There’s no point choosing a name you know has been chosen by another company. Even if that company renders services that are different from yours or operates within an entirely different industry, you won’t be able to choose the same name for your catering business.
In fact, when thinking of a name for your catering service, have one or two other names on standby, so you can choose those if your main choice is no longer available.
6. Mind the domain
Before settling for a name for your catering business, check whether an existing website goes by that name. For example, if you are considering the name “Foodex,” check whether foodex.com, foodex.net, and foodex.org are available.
If the domain name is already in use by another individual or company, choose another name for your business rather than going for another domain name. If you settle for foodexco.com because foodex.com is unavailable, everyone will assume that your business name is “Foodexco” and not “Foodex.”
7. Avoid being too specific
Don’t box yourself in by choosing a name that won’t allow your business to expand. This means you should avoid adding geographical locations or specific product or service categories to your business name. If you later decide to expand your business to other locations or add to your product line, such specific names will leave your customers confused.
8. Ask potential customers
After coming up with a list of possible names for your catering service business, ask potential customers for suggestions on which to choose. Your potential customers will be able to help you choose a good name because they better understand the effect a name has on them.
9. Give a clue
Try to choose a name that gives a clue about your catering service. This will inform or remind customers about the specific services you provide.
10. Keep it closer to A than Z
Potential customers searching for catering businesses to patronize will use online or offline business directories. Since these directories list businesses in alphabetical order, a smart way to ensure that your business gets noticed quickly is to choose a name that is as close as possible to the letter A.