# Restrooms **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [May 31, 2009, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restrooms/498251 "2009-05-31T09:31:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Serenata67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/serenata67/32/10646_2.png) [@Serenata67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Serenata67)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2009, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restrooms/498251/21 "2009-06-29T17:33:28Z")
Then where does “ **biffy** ” come from? I live in Wisconsin and a number of transplanted Minnesotans and northern Wisconsinites refer to it as the biffy. And they have no idea why. ---
**Author:** ![SiXSwordS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/49beb7/32.png) [@SiXSwordS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SiXSwordS)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2009, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restrooms/498251/22 "2009-06-29T17:58:18Z")
I believe there was (is?) a company that provides portable toilet service called Biffy such that the name appears on their portable toilets. Sorry, no cite at hand, but there are several companies that provide such services that do have Biffy in their names. ---
**Author:** ![SeanArenas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeanArenas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeanArenas)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2009, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restrooms/498251/23 "2009-06-30T03:11:07Z")
I took a trip to England in 2004 and Ireland in 2007. I tried asking after the Loo several times in both countries, just to see. Absolutely no one was familiar with the term, be it a waiter, a bartender, a tour guide, etc. I rephrase it, “Where is the restroom/bathroom” and they point me right to it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restrooms/498251.md?page=1)