# Business names that thoroughly irritate you for no valid reason **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 1, 2016, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-names-that-thoroughly-irritate-you-for-no-valid-reason/764673 "2016-09-01T17:41:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Waltzes\_with\_Cacti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/90ced4/32.png) [@Waltzes\_with\_Cacti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waltzes_with_Cacti)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2016, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-names-that-thoroughly-irritate-you-for-no-valid-reason/764673/61 "2016-09-02T16:28:29Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Ruth’s Chris Steak House. Oh, yeah, I’m with you, **enipla** , on that one. What an _irritating_ name. ---
**Author:** ![Soylent\_Juicy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@Soylent\_Juicy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soylent_Juicy)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2016, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-names-that-thoroughly-irritate-you-for-no-valid-reason/764673/62 "2016-09-02T16:39:17Z")
There was a restaurant in my city called “The Fish Bowl.” I worked in a pet store for many years. Fish bowls are gross. Filthy, poop-filled fish-smelling water. Every time I saw that sign I would remember the smell of fish tanks and be grossed out that they were associating that with food. I went there a couple of times and it was okay, but the name always skeeved me out. ---
**Author:** ![Deeg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deeg/32/2955_2.png) [@Deeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deeg)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2016, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-names-that-thoroughly-irritate-you-for-no-valid-reason/764673/63 "2016-09-02T16:54:13Z")
Hah! Fun thread. I didn’t realize how many ways there were to get annoyed. Mine is stores with faux old words/spelling like “ye” and “olde”, especially gift sores. The worst would be “Ye Olde Gift Shoppe”. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2016, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-names-that-thoroughly-irritate-you-for-no-valid-reason/764673/64 "2016-09-02T16:57:54Z")
Ye Olde Gyfte Shoppe? Pronounced of course “Yee oldie giftie shoppie” ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2016, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-names-that-thoroughly-irritate-you-for-no-valid-reason/764673/65 "2016-09-02T17:02:28Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Ruth’s Chris Steak House. > [@Waltzes\_with\_Cacti](#): > > Oh, yeah, I’m with you, **enipla** , on that one. What an _irritating_ name. [Guess who](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruth%27s_Chris_Steak_House#Name_change_to_Ruth.27s_Chris_Steak_House.2C_1976) else hates the name? > [@](#): > > Name change to Ruth’s Chris Steak House, 1976 > In early 1976, shortly after Fertel signed a new ten-year lease on the restaurant, a fire destroyed the building. Fertel had recently acquired a second property nearby to rent out as party space. Within seven days, she had relocated the restaurant to its new location a few blocks away at 721 Broad Street and re-opened it, expanding to 160 seats in the process. The sales agreement with Matulich prevented her from using the original name at any other address, so she named the new restaurant Ruth’s Chris Steak House in order to keep some continuity with the previous location. **She admitted later to Fortune Magazine that “I’ve always hated the name, but we’ve always managed to work around it.”** ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2016, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-names-that-thoroughly-irritate-you-for-no-valid-reason/764673/66 "2016-09-02T17:04:43Z")
> [@Deeg](#): > > Hah! Fun thread. I didn’t realize how many ways there were to get annoyed. Mine is stores with faux old words/spelling like “ye” and “olde”, especially gift sores. The worst would be “Ye Olde Gift Shoppe”. You got ninjae’d. > [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > There was an apartment complex I used to drive by named “Hunting Woods.” Yay, what a place to live. Making it worse was that the script font made it look like “Hurting Woods,” which is an even more lovely image and sounds like a spinoff of _Dawson’s Creek_. > > There was a Brake Shoppe, which scored a double because (1) I don’t want quaint old brake repairs, thanks and (2) their slogan, a permanent part of their professionally made sign, was “Integrity is our Service.” > > Any business that’s Shoppe or has a superfluous e - a wannabetrendy corner mall was Quail Pointe, which we always pronounced “pointy” as we do “shoppy.” Yes, there were shoppys in the pointy. ---
**Author:** ![BorgHunter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@BorgHunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BorgHunter)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2016, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-names-that-thoroughly-irritate-you-for-no-valid-reason/764673/67 "2016-09-02T17:12:31Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > Just drove by a restaurant this week called King Crawfish. Under the name it says “Specializing in Chinese, Japanese and American Cuisine.” > > Nothing says Chinese and Japanese food like crawfish. 麻小 (麻辣小龙虾, if you want to be all proper about it) is actually a rather popular Chinese dish. [Take a look](https://www.google.com/search?q=%E9%BA%BB%E5%B0%8F&tbm=isch). ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2016, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-names-that-thoroughly-irritate-you-for-no-valid-reason/764673/68 "2016-09-02T17:13:16Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Ruth’s Chris Steak House. /thread win Not because it’s the worst, but because it’s… …an awful, lumpy name …on a wannabe-upscale chain that should know better …that is of significant size. Three strikes, Ruth or Chris or someone is out. ---
**Author:** ![Nefario](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/59ef9b/32.png) [@Nefario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nefario)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2016, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-names-that-thoroughly-irritate-you-for-no-valid-reason/764673/69 "2016-09-02T17:33:58Z")
> [@Mister\_Rik](#): > > One I’ve mentioned before is a local business called, simply, “Northwest Product Supply”. > > Wow, what a monumentally non-descriptive name. You see this \*A LOT \*with businesses that have to do with industrial supplies. I really think these names are chosen so corporate purchasing agents can sound cryptic and having special knowledge when they talk about the price of standard bolts, mops, etc; usually accompanied by a part number and no verbal description I knew of one supply simply named “DAL-RS”, nothing else on the building or letterhead… 😕 ---
**Author:** ![davey77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90ced4/32.png) [@davey77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davey77)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2016, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-names-that-thoroughly-irritate-you-for-no-valid-reason/764673/70 "2016-09-02T17:50:58Z")
There was a short-lived restaurant here called, “Bake N Brew”. Their slogan was “Pretty OK Food”. I often thought they should be called, “Bong N Suds”. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2016, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-names-that-thoroughly-irritate-you-for-no-valid-reason/764673/71 "2016-09-02T19:33:16Z")
Was never a fan of “Radio Shack.” I know the history and the reason they named it that (when the US Navy first adopted radio, the equipment was housed in a small wooden structure on deck, known as the “radio shack”), but I’d imagine most people don’t know that story and it just sounds like a dude selling electronics out of an outhouse. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2016, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-names-that-thoroughly-irritate-you-for-no-valid-reason/764673/72 "2016-09-02T20:27:03Z")
Depends on how old you are. When the “Radio Shack” name was chosen in 1921 it made perfect sense. The term was also used in the other services, so it wasn’t strictly USN slang. When I was a kid in the early 60s and Radio Shack was in it’s heyday most electronic hobbyists were middle-aged WWII vets. Who all knew exactly what a radio shack was. It’s still common parlance amongst ham radio people today. As with so many companies, their product line slowly drifted further and further from their name. The march of tech progress didn’t help. You’re quite right it’s a crappy name in 2016 for a cellphone sales agent and RC cars sales company with a small sidelight in low quality generic batteries and expensive PC patch cables. It’s been many years since anyone named Boeing had anything to do with the plane maker. Sure seems like a silly and non-descriptive name for them to have in 2016. How about they rename it to something like “US Aerospace” or “MegaDefenseCorp” or “jetsR’US” complete with nonstandard casing and embedded special characters? Tres trendy. There’s value in brand continuity even if the product line changes. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Krupe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ebca7d/32.png) [@Leo\_Krupe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Krupe)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2016, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-names-that-thoroughly-irritate-you-for-no-valid-reason/764673/73 "2016-09-02T20:42:15Z")
I’ve seen bars that have “Pub ‘n’ Grub” in their names. “Pub” I can deal with, but “grub” isn’t something I want to eat, unless I happen to be visiting Snuffy Smith or the Duke boys. And there’s no chance of either. Another place I’ve seen: The Gashole. They don’t sell gasoline or fuel, but coffee and snacks. I’ve never been there, and will never go. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2016, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-names-that-thoroughly-irritate-you-for-no-valid-reason/764673/74 "2016-09-02T21:37:02Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > A thousand times this. I still don’t know what it’s supposed to mean. > > My peeve is names that sound foolish to say. Number one in that category is Wamu Bank, the (I think) now defunct Washington Mutual. Their commercials were constantly on and at the time I worked in the credit card division of marketing at a national retailer and I could barely bring myself to say “Wamu”, which unfortunately had to be said a lot. Wawa (gas station / convenience store) is nearly as bad but at least that one you can say using the sad trombone sound. My first job, when I was fourteen, was a children’s clothing store in the mall called “Tot Toggery”. God, how I hated having to say that to people when they asked me where I worked. Not only did it sound stupid but nobody was familiar with the term “togs” for clothing so they sure as hell didn’t get what a “toggery” was. There’s a local bank called Rabobank. Pronounced “rob a bank”. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2016, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-names-that-thoroughly-irritate-you-for-no-valid-reason/764673/75 "2016-09-02T22:01:33Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > Apple? Apple, is that you? > > Some of these uber-boutiquey places seem like if they sell the one item in their store, they’ll have to close up shop. Apple doesn’t have employees, they have geniuses. At the Genius Bar. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2016, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-names-that-thoroughly-irritate-you-for-no-valid-reason/764673/76 "2016-09-02T22:07:35Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > In that same vein there’s a chain of crappy furniture stores in the Midwest named “Weekends Only.” [http://www.weekendsonly.com/](http://www.weekendsonly.com/) Two guesses when they’re open. Looks like they’re all in the St. Louis area, except for one in Indianapolis. This weekend, they’ll also be open on Monday. As for Tuesday Morning, the ones I’ve seen mostly sold sheet sets and giftwrap. The one in my old town closed suddenly, and not long afterwards, most of the employees were arrested because they were stealing the better merchandise and selling it on eBay. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2016, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-names-that-thoroughly-irritate-you-for-no-valid-reason/764673/77 "2016-09-02T22:08:48Z")
I don’t like businesses named for prominent, nearby geographical features, or the name of the city in which it’s located, because _everybody_ does it. The local phone book has page after page after page of businesses whose names start with “Columbia” (we’re on the Columbia River), “Cascade” (you can sorta see part of the Cascade mountain range from here), “Valley” (we’re, um, in a valley) and “Wenatchee” (the name of this city). Names like that just don’t require any thought or originality. For some of the older businesses that use the city name, I suspect that at some point in the past they were the only business in town that sold whatever they sell, and early on probably had a shingle out front that just said, “Hardware” or “Feed”. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2016, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-names-that-thoroughly-irritate-you-for-no-valid-reason/764673/78 "2016-09-02T22:27:22Z")
[hijack] At the risk of triggering a world-class rant: Why exactly is Wenatchee the bunghole of WA? Looks to be on a big river, near pretty mountains, an easy drive to the really big city when necessary, but otherwise out in the quiet countryside. Sure it’s a smallish town. Washington has lots of small towns. As does every other state. What’s the secret sauce that makes Wenatchee so especially bungholish? [/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2016, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-names-that-thoroughly-irritate-you-for-no-valid-reason/764673/79 "2016-09-02T22:43:34Z")
There’s been a tire store out here called Four Day Tires. Prominently placed in their print ads was a cartoon depicting a guy selling tires four days out of the week, and the other three, sitting under a shade tree next to a brook with a fishing pole. I never minded that, but when I started seeing “Three Day Blinds” I found myself pretty unimpressed with the work ethic of the people in the retail window treatment game. ---
**Author:** ![Jennshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Jennshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennshark)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2016, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-names-that-thoroughly-irritate-you-for-no-valid-reason/764673/80 "2016-09-02T23:52:31Z")
> [@dracoi](#): > > I am annoyed by most dot-com names that are (or appear to be) the soulless products of focus groups picking from available combinations of letters. Trivago and Zoosk, you’re at the top of that list. I understand why this kind of naming is essential for success and it still annoys me. Y’know, looking at the Trivago name it occurs to me that it may be a smooshing of “Trip” “Vacation” “Go” Or not 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-names-that-thoroughly-irritate-you-for-no-valid-reason/764673.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/business-names-that-thoroughly-irritate-you-for-no-valid-reason/764673.md?page=5)