By Brian Hernandez
We all know the drill. You’ve got a dream, a dough recipe that would make your Nonna jealous, and an oven that can cook a pie faster than those dehydrated pizzas from Back to the Future II (Google it!). But then, you hit a wall—the name for your new pizzeria.
It’s the one factor that can either make your business or break your reputation faster than a soggy slice left out in the rain. The name of your pizzeria is basically the first date, the first impression—there can be only one. It’s either going to make people say, “Wow, I gotta try that” or “I think I’ll get a burger instead.” No pressure, right?
Why Naming Your Pizzeria Is a Big Deal
You might think naming your pizzeria is like picking a name for your dog, but trust me—it’s much, much more. Your name is a big part of your identity, a big part of the branding/marketing package that tells the world what kind of pizza you serve, and more importantly, whether or not you’re worth the dough. A catchy, memorable name can stay with people long after they’ve had their first slice. It can make them feel like they’re part of a cool club—like they’ve unlocked some secret pizza society.
Related: Who wants Pizzarrhea? 33 weird names for your next pizza shop
But a bad name? That can lead to all sorts of issues. For example, you might think a name that rhymes is cute, but if it’s hard to pronounce, confusing or just doesn’t fit your vibe, it can leave customers scratching their heads—or worse, running for the nearest big chain.
Case in point: “The Pizza Place.” Yeah, you read that right. Sure, the vagueness and ambiguity of this moniker might have worked in a small town in Indiana in 1973, when everything was groovy, glam rock and denim ruled the world (at the same time), and no one cared about naming conventions. But in today’s world of “click-and-order” and “brand identity,” that name might be a one-way ticket to No-Man’s-Land. Or could it be SEO gold? Having said all that, I checked the interwebs, and there is a restaurant called The Pizza Place in Mt. Pleasant, Tennessee. It’s been operating since 1992, so I’m leaning towards the latter.
Naming Your Pizzeria After Yourself or Your Family
Now let’s talk about the age-old debate: Should you name your pizzeria after yourself or your family? Is this a badge of honor or a one-way ticket to an overinflated ego that even the best pizza can’t fix?
On the one hand, naming your pizzeria after yourself adds a personal touch. It tells customers, “Hey, this isn’t just any pizza place. This is MY pizza place. I’m in it, heart and dough, baby.” If you’ve got a strong brand, a loyal customer base, and an interesting backstory, this can work wonders. Take “Todd’s Pizza” or “Giuseppe’s Pizzeria”—simple, memorable, and they often work because people are connecting with a name they can trust, especially if they already know you or have heard of you.
But there’s a flip side. If your name isn’t actually Giuseppe, you might just alienate customers or end up getting lost in the noise. It’s the difference between a “Mario’s Pizza” and a “Mamma’s Authentic Italian”—which name do you think feels more universally inviting? Plus, who wants to explain why there is no Todd every day?
A shining example of the benefits of using your own name is Taylors’ Pizza House in Endwell, New York. Owner and U.S. Pizza Team member George Taylor says, “I’ve learned over the years that helping people get to know you and your name adds credibility to your product. I always start off my social media with my name. Now people come into the shop and call me by name all the time, even when I have never seen them before, as if we have been friends for years.”
Another avenue for self-naming is putting a twist on that name. Add some flair to it. Maybe find a way to make the name a little ambiguous, teasing the imagination to grab customers’ attention. A great example is USPT member Sean Dempsey of Danger von Dempsey’s in Aberdeen, South Dakota. His family’s namesake establishment, Dempsey’s Brew + Pub & Restaurant, will soon celebrate 25 years in business, but in 2019 Sean wanted to see if his success in the industry was merely a by-product from his folks having built a quality local brand, or if he did indeed have the pizza prowess to stand toe to toe with some of the big names in the industry.
Enter Danger von Dempsey and one of the craziest origin stories thus far. “I was called Danger due to an incident in Fargo, North Dakota, where I fell down a flight of stairs with a pint and somehow managed to not lose the pint,” Sean recalls. “One of my friends quipped, ‘We should call you Danger!’ And so, it stuck.”
But it doesn’t stop there. “A few years later I discovered my Austrian relatives had a very distant trace to nobility, thus the ‘Von Dempsey.’ Putting it all together a few years later, as ‘Danger von Dempsey’s,’ made a fun, playful story while showing a big difference between the full-service 170-seat restaurant my parents had founded and the 50-70 seat pizza places I have created. Plus, I figured, ‘Let’s go get some DVD’s!’ sounded like it could become a thing. And no, my middle name is not Danger, and yes, people do ask.”
Do Your Research Before Naming Your Pizzeria
I know, I know—doing research sounds like you’re working on a high school history project. But trust me, it’s more important than you think. Imagine trying to open a pizzeria called “Sicilian Style” only to find out there’s a trademark for that name, or worse, an entirely different Sicilian pizza joint in the same market already dominating Google searches.
If you’re thinking of naming your pizzeria something clever, consider whether it’ll work in the long run. Will it be easy to remember and spell? Can you get a good website domain with that name? Can you pronounce it after three shots of espresso?
A glaring example of this dilemma also comes from George Taylor and his inaugural pizzeria-naming endeavor. “When we opened our first pizza shop back in 1995, we wanted to have a name that was easy to say and give the customer an idea of what we did,” he says. “We ended up calling it Freschott Pizza, which was supposed to be pronounced Fresh-Hot Pizza.”
But George’s cleverness did more damage than good. “For years people called us anything but what was intended. I put the C in there to make it look like a name, and, by golly, it worked. People thought it had the pronunciation of a [person’s] name and therefore felt they must pronounce it Fresk-Ott, and it drove me crazy.”
In the case of a small chain in San Antonio, Texas, featured on PMQ’s June 2024 cover, married owners Matt and Hengam Stanfield took their first names, mashed them together and voila! Mattenga’s Pizzeria was born. Meanwhile, Frank and Austin Battaglia opted for a classic Sicilian insult, the kind of mild putdown that you’d expect from a pair of dough-slinging brothers with Italian roots: Stunod’s Pizzeria. (For the record, “stunod” essentially means “goofball,” as Frank told PMQ in a March 26 article on PMQ.com.)
And speaking of name research, here’s another pro tip: If you’re planning to get vehicles wrapped with your pizzeria’s name, make sure the design, when all doors are opened, doesn’t say something that’s, you know, NSFW. (You can Google that too, just don’t do it at work—it’s not safe.)
Best Practices for Naming Your Pizzeria
If you’re ready to tackle the naming game, here are a few strategies you should follow to make sure your pizzeria name isn’t a disaster in the making.
- Think about your audience: Who are you serving, and what kind of pizza are you slinging? If you’re aiming for an upscale vibe, a name like The Artisan Slice could work. For a more family-friendly restaurant? Maybe it’s something fun and colorful like Big Joe’s Pizza Palace. Your name should align with the atmosphere you’re creating and your own personality. Big Joe’s won’t make much sense for an upscale, artisanal pizza experience, and The Artisan Slice doesn’t sound like a great place to bring the kids.
- Keep it simple and memorable: Avoid names that require a PhD to pronounce. Keep it short, snappy and easy to recall. People don’t have time to Google a long, complicated name every time they want pizza.
- Do your homework: Check for trademark issues, Google your prospective name to see if someone else already owns it, and ensure it’ll play well on a sign and in your marketing. And for Pete’s sake, make sure it’s not something that makes people cringe.
- If you’re not Italian, don’t pretend that you are. This one should go without saying. Keep in mind that Italian-Americans take enormous pride (understandably) in their heritage. They know good pizza when they taste it, and they might love yours, but they might love it less if you’re pretending to be someone that you aren’t—as in one of them.
Ultimately, whether you go big with a family name or create something totally unique, the name should reflect the vibe you want your customers to experience when they walk in the door.
Good luck, pizza dreamers. Your name could very well be your ticket to pizza stardom—or the subject of an awkward and possibly expensive conversation with your local trademark attorney.
