The Canadian Society for the Study of Names is a very serious group of scholars. They are experts in onomastics – that is, the study of proper names – and their contributions to academia are nothing to chuckle about. Not until Lynn Westney walks into the room, anyway.
Ever since she presented the paper Dew Drop Inn and Lettuce Entertain You: Onomastic Sobriquets in the Food and Beverage Industry to naming societies in 2001, the retired university librarian and restaurant-industry veteran has received e-mails from all over the world with suggested names for her collection. A Spanish correspondent who was opening his own restaurant even asked her for advice.
Ms. Westney’s most recent academic paper, “Wok Right Inn and Espresso Yourself: Onomastic Punning in the Foodservice Industry,” includes a compilation of hundreds of punny restaurant names around the world. Here’s a taste of Ms. Westney’s favourite spots:
Tables of Content – East Brunswick, N.J.
“This was founded in 2007, and it’s located inside the East Brunswick, New Jersey, library. I think that’s just so apropos,” Ms. Westney says. Unfortunately for her collection, this café may have met the same fate as the now-closed Minneapolis, Minn., bar Table of Contents. The café’s phone number is out of service, and its website has disappeared.
Lord of the Fries – Melbourne, Australia
“This restaurant was opened by a couple – a woman from Toronto and a fellow that she met while she was living in Taiwan.” This fry shack, which began as a lowly chip truck, has five locations and hundreds of Twitter followers. Its owners have no relationship with the modestly popular card game of the same name.
That’s Aroma! – Edmonton
“It’s a restaurant devoted to garlic – garlic ice cream, garlic everything.” This is a veteran of Ms. Westney’s first collection of names, but even a great culinary gimmick and the ultimate pun couldn’t save it from a spate of bad reviews on the Internet. The city’s alt weekly liked it, but some patrons were left unsatisfied.
The Dam Site Inn – Pellston, Mich.
“That’s where I go every August on vacation. It’s located in a gorgeous old house. … It’s beautiful, and on several acres of land overlooking this little dam.” This is a family restaurant in northern Michigan. But for a different experience, a restaurant of the same name on the other side of Michigan specializes in motorcycle rides.
SideBern’s – Tampa, Fla.
“My husband and I took my best friend and her husband to Bern’s restaurant for their 10th wedding anniversary. SideBern’s is their sister restaurant.” Bern’s is known as one of the best restaurants in the United States, and was visited by former president George W. Bush. No word on whether he laughed at the restaurant’s punny companion.
Special to The Globe and Mail
