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Name this Vietnamese Restaurant

Rachel Perlow

By Rachel Perlow
in Restaurant Life

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jhlurie

jhlurie

Posted
Posted

Personally I like the "Pho-Q" suggestion. She can always claim one of her partners has a name that starts with "Q".

How about a subtle, non-copyrighted variation on the famous Soup Nazi "No Soup For You" line - "Soup Pho You" (without the "No", since she WANTS to give people soup). Possible variant: "Soup Pho U"

Jon Lurie, aka "jhlurie"

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skchai

skchai

Posted
Posted

I think puns are truly the highest form of humor, but they might want to think twice about using a pun in the name of their new restaurant. A pun in a restaurant name sets off the "tourist trap" buzzer in my head. Not sure why - but to me, at least, these types of restaurants usually seem to be selling either contrived quaintness or contrived hipness, and not much in the way of food. . .

But perhaps that's only me? Note: this is not a comment on the truly stunning quality of the puns suggested earlier in this thread!

As an alternative, how about a riff on the numbered Pho stalls of Saigon? I know, it's been done. There seem to be dozens of "Pho 79" around the coutnry., most seemingly with no relation to one another. But how about something a little more creative, like "Pho 95", as in NJ Turnpike? Or if that sounds too much like Windows 95, or simply too lame, how about "Pho 44"? :smile: "Pho 2020"? :hmmm: "Pho 69"? :raz: "Pho 666"? :shock:

Or we must have a pun, how about something that plays off the (likely) etymology of the wordf, e.g. "Pot-au-Pho"?

Sun-Ki Chai
http://www2.hawaii.edu/~sunki/

Former Hawaii Forum Host

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Oceangroveguy

Oceangroveguy

Posted
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If they name it "Pho Tops", then I'll be there....

Also "Go Pho", "Pho Chi Minh" and (remembering Country Joe and dating myself) "Let Saigons Be Bygones"

I vote against any of the puns on fuck - restaurants needs humorless and prim customers to survive.

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babyluck

babyluck

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I vote against any of the puns on fuck - restaurants needs humorless and prim customers to survive.

That's why I like Mo'Pho--it's a pun on an abbreviated form of a naughty word that is already a semi-polite euphemism for the real thing. It has a real meaning--more pho--that is in line with the positioning of the restaurant. I wouldn't be surprised if those humorless, prim types took it at face value, at least until their kids clue them in. My parents are cool but I think it would even take them a while to get it. "Pho King" has the same kind of dual meaning but it has 2 strikes against it: the pun is harsher because in pronouncing it you actually say "fuck" and sophisticated types like us may take it for a naive mistake.

Also a good point about the tourist-trap thing, but honestly I think that only holds true for people like us who are looking for authenticity. Most people aren't--look at Westfield, where Fujiyama Mama is packed every night and the vastly superior Hon Bang Sushi can't fill its 5 parking spots. If I had the choice between Mo'Pho and a blandly titled hole-in-the-wall and didn't know anything about either, I would choose the latter. But I'm always going against the tide.

That being said, all this totally depends on the neighborhood and how many 20- and 30-somethings they can pull in. If it's all stodgy families and old people like some towns around here, forget it.

Queen of Grilled Cheese

NJ, USA

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Jason Perlow

Jason Perlow

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Last night I thought of "PHOrt Lee" but I am not sure anyone would get it.

I spoke to her this morning and she is probably going with "Mo'Pho Crazy Noodle Shop"

Jason Perlow, Co-Founder eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters

Foodies who Review South Florida (Facebook) | offthebroiler.com - Food Blog (archived) | View my food photos on Instagram

Twittter: @jperlow | Mastodon @jperlow@journa.host

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KatieLoeb

KatieLoeb

Posted
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If they name it "Pho Tops", then I'll be there....

Funny! Good to see another Motown fan with a punny sense of humor.

Katie M. Loeb
Booze Muse, Spiritual Advisor

Author: Shake, Stir, Pour:Fresh Homegrown Cocktails

Cheers!
Bartendrix,Intoxicologist, Beverage Consultant, Philadelphia, PA
Captain Liberty of the Good Varietals, Aphrodite of Alcohol

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Jason Perlow

Jason Perlow

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Is this going to be in the same location they used to have on Abbot Ave near Café Boulevard?

The location in consideration is currently on Main Street in Fort Lee.

Jason Perlow, Co-Founder eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters

Foodies who Review South Florida (Facebook) | offthebroiler.com - Food Blog (archived) | View my food photos on Instagram

Twittter: @jperlow | Mastodon @jperlow@journa.host

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babyluck

babyluck

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I spoke to her this morning and she is probably going with "Mo'Pho Crazy Noodle Shop"

High five!

I like it... I thought at first why not "Crazy Mo'Pho Noodle Shop" but it's growing on me--it's kooky. I would go in. As long as CRAZY isn't scrawled in faux graffiti...

Queen of Grilled Cheese

NJ, USA

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Rachel Perlow

Rachel Perlow

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PhoKT - she doesn't want her name in it,

tell her she *deserves* to have her name in it. :biggrin:

my Fort Lee friends have talked about her old place for years now. she's a legend.

Tommy: From KT -- "Thanks for the kind words. You work for a long time and don't know how it is being received, and that was very nice to hear."

So, she filed for the business as Mo'Pho Noodle Company, but is still considering many of the names suggested here, as she can always have the sign say anything and have it be "doing business as." She's moving to a space that had a liquor license, but doesn't want it. Fortunately, there were two buyers, one that wanted the license but not the space (already has a restaurant in Fort Lee, w/out a liquor license); and herself, who wants the space, but not the liquor license.

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jhlurie

jhlurie

Posted
Posted (edited)

Has anyone suggested... Good Pho You?

EDIT - actually foodie52 did. Never mind.

Actually she can reuse a lot of these horrible puns on the menu or hanging on the walls as slogans or something. It will be Pho Art, as someone said.

Or not.

Edited by jhlurie (log)

Jon Lurie, aka "jhlurie"

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herbacidal

herbacidal

Posted
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So, she filed for the business as Mo'Pho Noodle Company, but is still considering many of the names suggested here, as she can always have the sign say anything and have it be "doing business as." She's moving to a space that had a liquor license, but doesn't want it. Fortunately, there were two buyers, one that wanted the license but not the space (already has a restaurant in Fort Lee, w/out a liquor license); and herself, who wants the space, but not the liquor license.

That's interesting.

She didn't decide to buy it with the license and re-sell the license,

or is that not possible?

Herb aka "herbacidal"

Tom is not my friend.

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Jason Perlow

Jason Perlow

Posted
Posted

So, she filed for the business as Mo'Pho Noodle Company, but is still considering many of the names suggested here, as she can always have the sign say anything and have it be "doing business as." She's moving to a space that had a liquor license, but doesn't want it. Fortunately, there were two buyers, one that wanted the license but not the space (already has a restaurant in Fort Lee, w/out a liquor license); and herself, who wants the space, but not the liquor license.

That's interesting.

She didn't decide to buy it with the license and re-sell the license,

or is that not possible?

In NJ liquor licenses in certain towns sell in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. There is a finite number of them in every town.

Jason Perlow, Co-Founder eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters

Foodies who Review South Florida (Facebook) | offthebroiler.com - Food Blog (archived) | View my food photos on Instagram

Twittter: @jperlow | Mastodon @jperlow@journa.host

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herbacidal

herbacidal

Posted
Posted

That's interesting.

She didn't decide to buy it with the license and re-sell the license,

or is that not possible?

In NJ liquor licenses in certain towns sell in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. There is a finite number of them in every town.

Herb aka "herbacidal"

Tom is not my friend.

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