# Name my wife's new cafe! **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 18, 2009, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-my-wifes-new-cafe/503406 "2009-07-18T03:24:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2009, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-my-wifes-new-cafe/503406/41 "2009-07-18T20:24:40Z")
> [@imfloating](#): > > Lou’s your lunch. there’s no wine in French hell, just vinegar. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2009, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-my-wifes-new-cafe/503406/42 "2009-07-18T21:35:40Z")
Can she tie the address or a nearby landmark into the name somehow? There’s a restaurant in Charleston, SC, called 86 Magnolia, and a restaurant in Key West called 9-1-5 (they’re at 915 Duval Street.) That will help people remember where it is. Cafe on the Corner, Cafe by the Bank, Cafe under the Elm Tree, etc, can also help. I also think naming after a plant might be nice, like Plum Tree Cafe or the Gardenia Cafe. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2009, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-my-wifes-new-cafe/503406/43 "2009-07-18T21:36:33Z")
La Reve (The Dream), or for a Seinfeldian twist: Le Cafe Reve (The Dream Cafe). ---
**Author:** ![fisha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@fisha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fisha)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2009, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-my-wifes-new-cafe/503406/44 "2009-07-18T21:43:22Z")
The Onion Cafe N’est pas? ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2009, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-my-wifes-new-cafe/503406/45 "2009-07-18T22:01:20Z")
> [@bubba\_jr](#): > > Oui was a nasty hardcore sex mag, I know I found one in my dad’s drawer when I was younger. > > Not being much of a coffee or cafe person, when I want to go get a bite or have a beer, I want to be able to describe the place simply. I want a the\_\_\_\_ or \_\_\_\_'s. I think this post simply demonstrates that you should not take his advice. How many “bubba’s” are there in NorCal that primarily associate “_oui_” with sex rags? So I vote against “THE _ **" or "** _'S” unless it’s "The \_\_\_'s"—& even that’s more a Chicago sense of humor, I think. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2009, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-my-wifes-new-cafe/503406/46 "2009-07-18T22:06:44Z")
To be clear—I mean the blank as part of the name. ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2009, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-my-wifes-new-cafe/503406/47 "2009-07-18T22:09:42Z")
My suggestion is [Madeleine’s](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madeleine_(cake)). Sounds French, has the personal touch of a female first name, and carries the bonus literary reference to the cake that inspired Proust’s _À la recherche du temps perdu_. “Memories Are Made at Madeleine’s!” ---
**Author:** ![JFLuvly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ac91a4/32.png) [@JFLuvly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JFLuvly)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2009, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-my-wifes-new-cafe/503406/48 "2009-07-18T22:36:10Z")
Casa de Cafe I think it’s Italian for House of Coffee ---
**Author:** ![ruritanian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bcef8e/32.png) [@ruritanian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruritanian)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2009, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-my-wifes-new-cafe/503406/49 "2009-07-18T23:27:10Z")
> [@Sternvogel](#): > > My suggestion is [Madeleine’s](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madeleine_(cake)). Sounds French, has the personal touch of a female first name, and carries the bonus literary reference to the cake that inspired Proust’s _À la recherche du temps perdu_. “Memories Are Made at Madeleine’s!” It is a nice name indeed. That’s why [it’s already in use](http://www.lamadeleine.com/) by a chain of bistros/restaurants/cafes similar to the one discussed here. ---
**Author:** ![ruritanian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bcef8e/32.png) [@ruritanian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruritanian)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2009, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-my-wifes-new-cafe/503406/50 "2009-07-18T23:45:19Z")
Not original, but at least (hopefully) not the name of a chain of restaurants. Seen on the street (in France): Le comptoir - “The Counter” Chez eux - “Their Place” Au grain de sel - [at] The Grain of Salt All of them where local bistros, “the neighborhood pub” as it were - or, in French, “le bistrot du coin”. (There is one in Washington, D.C. already, so I guess that’s out, too). ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2009, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-my-wifes-new-cafe/503406/51 "2009-07-18T23:58:15Z")
How about “Château Dave”? (Or Barbie or Fran or Bob or whatever non-Franch name is incongruously-appropriate?) ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2009, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-my-wifes-new-cafe/503406/52 "2009-07-19T01:01:24Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > How about “Château Dave”? (Or Barbie or Fran or Bob or whatever non-Franch name is incongruously-appropriate?) I like this! How about **Le Snooty** or **That French Place**. Or **Ish** for It’ is Americanish and Frenchish. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2009, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-my-wifes-new-cafe/503406/53 "2009-07-19T01:09:46Z")
My Aunt Ella and her husband Sam named their cafe Sam 'n Ella’s. Didn’t really take off. ---
**Author:** ![Picard\_Kills\_Kirk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/dec6dc/32.png) [@Picard\_Kills\_Kirk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Picard_Kills_Kirk)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2009, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-my-wifes-new-cafe/503406/54 "2009-07-19T01:33:41Z")
My friend and I actually discovered the best name for a coffee shop/cafe at while at work yesterday. How convenient! We both decided we would definitely go to “The Dirt Room” for coffee at least once a day. Inspired by Blue October. ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2009, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-my-wifes-new-cafe/503406/55 "2009-07-19T01:47:19Z")
Cafe Petite ---
**Author:** ![tesseract](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bb73d2/32.png) [@tesseract](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tesseract)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2009, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-my-wifes-new-cafe/503406/56 "2009-07-19T05:04:06Z")
> [@Flip\_Pancake](#): > > Cafe du Nord (Cafe North) Gay club/bar in San Francisco. ---
**Author:** ![Lantern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d26b3c/32.png) [@Lantern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lantern)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2009, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-my-wifes-new-cafe/503406/57 "2009-07-19T19:19:52Z")
If you liked the movie how about Ratatouille? Or maybe a name from a classic French film. Rififi is a nice name for a cafe. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2009, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-my-wifes-new-cafe/503406/58 "2009-07-19T21:34:49Z")
Cafe Oui Oui ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2009, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-my-wifes-new-cafe/503406/59 "2009-07-20T01:38:28Z")
There is a dish, a throw back to the San Fran gold rush days, a meal of oysters, eggs and bacon, rich and rare, called “Hangtown Fry”. Call it, The Hangtown Fry, or the Hangtown fritte? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![King\_Bobo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c68b51/32.png) [@King\_Bobo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/King_Bobo)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2009, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-my-wifes-new-cafe/503406/60 "2009-07-20T02:20:44Z")
How about “Le Bonne Femme” or something similar. Le Bonne Femme de (town/street/name) The translation is a little loose, but is along the lines of “the good wife /good cook”, or, more often in French, is something that suggests home cooking along the lines of “Chez Bobo” but a little less pretentious. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-my-wifes-new-cafe/503406.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-my-wifes-new-cafe/503406.md?page=4)