Comments on: Name that Coffee Shop!

Question: Name that Coffee Shop!

blackkar — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 08:30:35 -0800

Help name a drive through coffee shop...

Some info: it will be a double drive through coffee shop; we will carry all the assorted coffee/latte/caps and bagel fare; there are three partners; it will be located in southeast Michigan; my last name is Black. We are starting most everything from scratch - we will be creating logos and the like, so if you have visual ideas to go with the name, please share.

As incentive, the top three choices (as determined by the aforementioned 3) will get a little gift sent to them... it will not contain coffee.

By: parilous

parilous — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 08:34:01 -0800

Joe 'n Go?

By: hortense

hortense — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 08:36:06 -0800

Blaxwell House

By: unixrat

unixrat — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 08:38:02 -0800

Cuppa Go.

Java, The Hut

CoffeeFilter

Can't Stop Need Coffee

By: kindall

kindall — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 08:39:14 -0800

Blax.

By: MrMoonPie

MrMoonPie — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 08:39:29 -0800

Brew Through

By: yogurtisgenocide

yogurtisgenocide — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 08:39:46 -0800

Coffee Kart

By: unixrat

unixrat — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 08:40:32 -0800

The Trip Sip

Grand Brew Auto

Bean-vergnugen

Mmm... That's Good AHHH Oh GOD MY LAP I WANTED CHILDREN!

By: Blazecock Pileon

Blazecock Pileon — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 08:40:53 -0800

Jumpin' Java

By: unixrat

unixrat — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 08:41:48 -0800

Joe2Go

By: YoBananaBoy

YoBananaBoy — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 08:42:08 -0800

Alternative Fuel

By: Blazecock Pileon

Blazecock Pileon — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 08:43:42 -0800

The Brew Crew

By: zerokey

zerokey — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 08:45:39 -0800

Vrooom!...mmm

By: unixrat

unixrat — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 08:45:43 -0800

Regular or Unleaded?

By: zerokey

zerokey — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 08:47:05 -0800

an alternative to unixrat's:
Sip n' Trip

I think it would be more appropriate for San Fran, though.

By: Blazecock Pileon

Blazecock Pileon — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 08:47:10 -0800

Godspeed You Black Emperor

By: Blazecock Pileon

Blazecock Pileon — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 08:49:27 -0800

Black And Brew

By: unixrat

unixrat — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 08:50:18 -0800

Why Cars Have Cupholders Coffeehouse

By: parmanparman

parmanparman — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 08:51:34 -0800

Brewed Awakening

By: EndsOfInvention

EndsOfInvention — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 08:51:40 -0800

Get Up And Go

By: Espy Gillespie

Espy Gillespie — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 08:51:45 -0800

Two Latte Blacktop

By: callmejay

callmejay — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 08:52:24 -0800

Joe-mentum. ;-)

By: danb

danb — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 08:52:59 -0800

Kind of Brew (with music notes in the logo)

By: googly

googly — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 08:53:49 -0800

The Black Hole.

By: teleskiving

teleskiving — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 08:56:03 -0800

Drive Brew

By: camworld

camworld — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 08:56:20 -0800

Java The Hut

By: mikepop

mikepop — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 08:57:50 -0800

FREE COFFEE

(cups, $2.65 per)

By: camworld

camworld — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 09:00:11 -0800

Never Enough Caffeine

Jittery Joe's

Drive-Thru Brew

Red Hot Coffee

Black's Black & Brew

By: humuhumu

humuhumu — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 09:06:32 -0800

Driving Us Crazy

A Whole Latte Love

By: mikepop

mikepop — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 09:11:57 -0800

Quick Coffee
Pit Stop Coffee

By: MrMoonPie

MrMoonPie — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 09:15:30 -0800

Perking Lot
Joe and Mo' To Go

By: gfrobe

gfrobe — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 09:20:46 -0800

"Black Coffee" with tagline - "You Won't Go Back"

By: mendel

mendel — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 09:22:46 -0800

unixrat's on to something there but it's too verbose. How about just "Cupholders"?

By: JamesMessick

JamesMessick — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 09:30:05 -0800

Dang, and I thought I was original.

By: pyramid termite

pyramid termite — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 09:30:13 -0800

java jive through

By: Smart Dalek

Smart Dalek — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 09:47:23 -0800

F1 Espresso

By: Smart Dalek

Smart Dalek — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 09:48:39 -0800

or even "Inbound Espresso"

By: Smart Dalek

Smart Dalek — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 09:50:45 -0800

Identify the closest interstate to your locale; replace "I-" designation of highway number with "Chai".

By: unixrat

unixrat — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 09:51:13 -0800

Perk-u-later

Hot Coffee Mods

Black is the new Coffee

The Three Ami-joes.

Paul's Coffee (Edmonton/NY only)

b33nZ

im in ur car drinking yur brews.

Brewskies.

Coffee 2.0

Roasted

TryNSave

DeCARfinated

The Best Little Coffeehouse in MI

Yoopers Not Welcome

DripZ

Drip2SipNTrip

By: unixrat

unixrat — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 09:52:07 -0800

Shakey's

By: ROU_Xenophobe

ROU_Xenophobe — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 09:55:55 -0800

In SE Michigan?

Jim Hourton's
Country Stile
Double Double

By: gauchodaspampas

gauchodaspampas — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 09:57:02 -0800

I second Black Coffee.

You could have an offer for anyone who's never had just a plain black coffee from your shop can have it for free (no sugar or cream allowed either). And the "you'll never go back thing." (Oh and you better actually have pretty good black coffee).

By: langeNU

langeNU — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 10:08:44 -0800

A takeoff on unixrat's Drip2SipNTrip:

Drip 'n Sip

By: ifranzen

ifranzen — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 10:10:46 -0800

Fresh Roast Coffee

Cool Beans Coffee Shop

Sip 'n Go Coffee

By: ifranzen

ifranzen — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 10:11:11 -0800

im in ur car drinking yur brews.

rofl

By: MrMoonPie

MrMoonPie — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 10:29:43 -0800

If you do go with "Drip 'n' Sip" or "Sip 'n' Go" (or anything similar), please, please use the apostrophe correctly, or you'll have English majors picketing out front--put an apostrophe where ever a letter is omitted. English major picket lines aren't pretty, what with all the wicked puns 'n' such.

By: thinkpiece

thinkpiece — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 10:32:25 -0800

Gitgo

The Pit Crew Drive Thru

Java Drive By

Roadkill Coffee 'n' Things

Coffee Brake

By: JohnnyGunn

JohnnyGunn — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 10:32:39 -0800

I am not creative enough to come up with the perfect pun. THere have been many great ones suggested. But, I do not think that is the way to go. If you plan to expand beyond your town and Michigan and the midwest, etc, then I think you should come up with an all new brand and simple name that will be defined by your logo and service. If you pick one that is a pun, it also comes with some preconcieved assumptions. The name should be memorable, but not necessarily have coffee (or its nicknames) in the name. Starbucks, McDonalds, Domino's work just as well as Pizza Hut, Burger King and the like. Sharpie pens dows not tell you it is a pen in the name. It has come to be understood by a good product and good marketing.

It will be more work initially educating the public with a name that does not say what it is in the title, but in the long run, you will have (re)defined your name through good service and product the other way.

I don't want to get my coffee from some store that has a cutesy sounding name. I want to get it from a store that makes good coffee.

As my previously mentioned creative gene was left behind, I think that simply Black's works real well. Black's coffee also would work but I would not use the tagline "you'll never go back." That sounds to me like the coffee sucks and you won't go back to that store.

By: rhizome

rhizome — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 10:32:41 -0800

Carffee

By: penchant

penchant — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 10:38:48 -0800

Straight Shot

By: _sirmissalot_

_sirmissalot_ — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 10:54:51 -0800

Three Friends Coffee

By: jmd82

jmd82 — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 10:54:56 -0800

Fuel(ed)
Beantown
Double pump
Java trip
Shotty pulls

(Jittery Joe's (FANTASTIC coffee btw): http://store.jitteryjoes.com/ I'm not knowledgeable of copywrite information as far as their name goes though)

By: pmbuko

pmbuko — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 10:55:04 -0800

Go'Spresso

By: Monkey0nCrack

Monkey0nCrack — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 11:20:41 -0800

Call it Two Bucks and have a logo just like fourbucks with two male deers instead of the mermaid.

Or make your logo completely different...

By: Darth Fedor

Darth Fedor — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 11:34:06 -0800

Battlestar Gablacktica

And you can serve Mango CYLON tea!

By: Darth Fedor

Darth Fedor — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 11:35:54 -0800

The Emergency Break

(And my apologies for the last one)

By: shakobe

shakobe — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 11:57:33 -0800

Express-O

The "O" could be designed in the shape of tire or whatever to imply motion.

By: parmanparman

parmanparman — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 12:21:02 -0800

Chavs!

By: TheWhiteSkull

TheWhiteSkull — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 12:33:54 -0800

Sip 'n' Swerve

By: GhostintheMachine

GhostintheMachine — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 12:52:41 -0800

Seconding JohnnyGunn's comments to avoid puns or clichéd phrasing, especially if you're intending this to be an upscale joint.

So forget about anything with bean, roast, brew, cup, sip, joe, java, jolt, express, espresso, café. You want a word or phrase or name that gives your customers a feeling about you. What do you want your customers to think and feel about you, your products, your service? That's crucial information missing from your question.

By: matkline

matkline — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 13:55:03 -0800

Hot Black Coffee

By: jmd82

jmd82 — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 14:17:31 -0800

Seconding JohnnyGunn's comments to avoid puns or clichéd phrasing, especially if you're intending this to be an upscale joint.
Not to derail, but I have to disagree.

By: konolia

konolia — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 15:19:26 -0800

Black Road Brew

By: seanyboy

seanyboy — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 15:21:54 -0800

carpuccino
Expresso.

By: safetyfork

safetyfork — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 15:45:38 -0800

Black Stone Roasted.
I also like this name with a comma in it. Black, Stone Roasted.
(Also: Stone can be a name for the inside of any drupe type fruit of which coffee is, apparently).

Some others:

The Mighty Bean.
Mean Bean Machine.
Lakes of Coffee
Superior Coffee (don't know my geography enough to know if this is a good choice, isn't Erie closer?, but it's a lake that scales when you go global, whereas Erie not so much).
Automatic Coffee.
Don't need no mitten with this Joe.
Black Troll Coffee (apparently if you're from southern Michigan you can be called a troll. What a state!)
Black's Lighthouse Brew.

By: Blazecock Pileon

Blazecock Pileon — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 15:54:57 -0800

Strong, Black and Proud

By: mynameismandab

mynameismandab — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 15:55:16 -0800

"Black's Espress-OH! (with tagline: once you go Black...)"

Ok, I'm only half serious but if you're going for the whole "sex sells" market, might as well go all the way hehe;)

By: Zack_Replica

Zack_Replica — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 16:02:21 -0800

There (was? is?) a place in Vancouver called Expresso Head, a good name which covers the type of coffees served at a quick rate, the head of espresso, and that it may be a little funky too.

or, "Buy This Coffee Or We'll Shoot This Dog."

By: melissa may

melissa may — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 16:03:30 -0800

Back in Black

(...but just plain Black's is my favorite. It's such a great coffee name it doesn't really need the whipped topping or sprinkles.)

By: Doohickie

Doohickie — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 16:33:50 -0800

Ceiling Cat is Watching You Drink Coffee

(esoteric inside jokes make the best names)

By: SeizeTheDay

SeizeTheDay — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 17:05:23 -0800

First, some backstory. There are three distinct parts to a shot of espresso. The heart (the black bottom), the body (the tan/golden brown middle), and the crema (the top part that resembles sweet caramel). Ristretto refers to a short espresso shot (meaning it doesn't undergo full extraction and comes out a bit sweeter than usual).

I've managed and opened a couple of coffee shops, so I have a little bit of experience. Don't pick a name that's too many syllables. Keep it short and sweet. Any name will do (really) because they tend to grow on people anyway. I would be careful with using the word "Black" because it doesn't sound appetizing (to the stomach or to the senses). My suggestions are:

Crema

Cafe Crema

Cafe Ristretto

Cafe Con Amor (meaning: with love)

By: SeizeTheDay

SeizeTheDay — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 17:10:14 -0800

BTW, using the espresso shot (with the three layers colored in) as the logo with the name Cafe Crema would be divine, IMHO. It shows that you understand coffee, that you're the best (crema of the crop, har har), and creates an easily identifiable logo (everyone knows what you're selling).

By: 23skidoo

23skidoo — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 17:30:11 -0800

Drink and Drivethru
Hotwired
Carista's

By: harmless

harmless — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 17:39:18 -0800

Rush

By: Raymond Marble

Raymond Marble — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 17:42:59 -0800

Perk n Go

By: rob511

rob511 — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 17:52:36 -0800

Mainline
Re: Fuel
Has Beans
Me Joe Black

By: The Monkey

The Monkey — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 17:56:09 -0800

Espresso to go.
The Espresso Lane.

By: billtron

billtron — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 19:47:12 -0800

Since you are near Detroit, I would recommend:

Motown Joe

If that doesn't fly, you could always try Middle English:

Burde Swart's Geyn Birlen-Trist of Wlech Tysane Payn-Demayn an-ent Mo Wlanc Prouendes.

By: billtron

billtron — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 19:55:23 -0800

SeizetheDay said:

There are three distinct parts to a shot of espresso. The heart (the black bottom), the body (the tan/golden brown middle), and the crema (the top part that resembles sweet caramel). Ristretto refers to a short espresso shot (meaning it doesn't undergo full extraction and comes out a bit sweeter than usual)....

I would be careful with using the word "Black" because it doesn't sound appetizing (to the stomach or to the senses)....

BTW, using the espresso shot (with the three layers colored in) as the logo with the name Cafe Crema would be divine, IMHO. It shows that you understand coffee, that you're the best (crema of the crop, har har)....

Maybe it's best to avoid discussing classification based on color in your neck of the woods.

By: me3dia

me3dia — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 19:59:20 -0800

- Where You Bean?
- Like My Men
- Fresh Pothole
- Coffeepothole
- Mudflaps
- Coffee Blacktop

By: kosem

kosem — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 21:44:39 -0800

I say go simple: Black's. Maybe: Crema Black.

Part of me, however, wishes you would go with CoffeeFilter.

By: onlyconnect

onlyconnect — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 22:15:55 -0800

1. Loca-Mocha -- where the logo maybe is surrounded by wheels of a car with a cup of coffee and steam on top

2. Presto Espresso

3. Instant Coffee

4. The Bean Thru

(I see logos for 2-4 with those speed marks running off at the end, as though the word were running.)

By: onlyconnect

onlyconnect — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 22:26:25 -0800

or for loca-mocha -- maybe the 2 o's are the car wheels.

Or, Stop 'n Joe.

By: ninazer0

ninazer0 — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 03:38:52 -0800

I think you should go with what jmd82 said.

Fuel.

Simple and appropriate without being kitschy or cutesy. I'd definately rather go to "Fuel" for my coffee than any of the others listed, IMHO. Mind you, I'm on the other side of the planet and upside down to boot, so YMMV.

Best wishes for the business!

By: safetyfork

safetyfork — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 06:28:46 -0800

There's the history of the automotive industry in Mich as well (as another possible reason why Fuel may be a good selection). Athough, with the geopolitical situation as it is, maybe it's not so great.

On that front: PEAK COFFEE

O.M.G. COFFEE

Good Luck!

By: seanyboy

seanyboy — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 10:28:12 -0800

There's a sandwich shop in Horsforth called Fuel.
It's opposite the DVLA

By: timepiece

timepiece — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 11:40:25 -0800

Like ninazer0, I liked the simple single-word ones the most, specifically:

Fuel

Rush

Black's

Perk

Stim

synonyms for awake, awaken, energize (quicken, kindle, bestir, etc.)

You could always go the Starbuck's route and use a literary allusion.

If you ever plan to expand, Brew Thru is already a drive-through liquor store in North Carolina (I know, idiotic - but you're not supposed to drink it in the car).

By: mynameismandab

mynameismandab — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 11:53:06 -0800

CoffeeFilter is cute. And it would honor the MeFites that helped to pick it out.

Or how about "/blæk/"? It's pronounced like "Black" but it looks like phonetics. Try it out in Times New Roman or a larger font.

My vote is for something short and sweet.

Black.
/blæk/.
Buzzed.

By: unixrat

unixrat — Sun, 24 Sep 2006 08:27:30 -0800

So, when's the answer?

By: blackkar

blackkar — Thu, 28 Sep 2006 09:18:06 -0800

Getting the three of us on the phone at the same time is difficult - I am hoping for the next two weeks - I will post an update in metatalk. Thanks for all of the suggestions!

By: mynameismandab

mynameismandab — Sat, 21 Oct 2006 11:41:49 -0800

Still waiting...

By: mynameismandab

mynameismandab — Mon, 11 Dec 2006 19:47:16 -0800

It's been 3 months already. When are we gonna know?!