Bagel shops are a $2 billion-dollar business with more than 2,000 shops across the United States.
With that many businesses, it probably feels like all the good ones are already taken, right? Furthermore, how do you find an excellent name that represents your brand and speaks to your target audience?
How do you make the final decision?
If you’re struggling to name your bagel shop, don’t worry. You’re in the right place. In this article, I cover some of the top tips for naming your new business as well as how to make sure the name is legally available for you to use.
Learn more about the bakery shop industry
Helpful Tips and Tricks for Naming Your Bagel Shop
Naming a business is hard, especially if you don’t have any ideas or a place to start. So, before diving in, grab a piece of paper and a pen or open a blank spreadsheet.
Then, use it as a place to brainstorm ideas and write down words or phrases that come to mind as you go through the tips below.
From there, we’ll talk about narrowing things down and landing on the perfect name.
1. Keep It as Short as Possible
Short business names are usually snappier, catchier, and easier to remember. Ideally, you want to stick to two to five syllables and hopefully no more than 25 characters total.
However, the shorter the name, the better.
That said, there are exceptions to this, and it’s not a hard rule. But when you think about huge, notable brands, which ones come to mind?
Nike. Apple. Ikea. Febreeze. Target. Honeywell.
They’re easy to remember because they’re short, simple, and brandable.
Obviously, there are exceptions to these rules. But typically, the shorter and simpler your name, the easier it is for everyone to remember.
2. Avoid Words That Are Hard to Hear and Pronounce
Voice-to-text and voice search are more popular now than ever before. So, it’s important to consider making your name easy to pronounce and hear.
To do this, avoid using:
- Commonly misspelled words
- Complex terms that are hard to spell
- Words that have several pronunciations
- Homophones like to, too, and two
Try to keep things as concise and simple as possible.
3. Consider Bagel-Related Terms
Since you’re opening a bagel shop, using bagel-related terms in the name might make sense, such as cream cheese, lox, etc. It may help to start brainstorming terms, phrases, and words to get all your ideas down on paper.
A few examples of this could include; Original Hot Bagels, Fresh Gourmet Bagels, or Lox of Bagels.
For a boost of creativity, expand use the thesaurus to find synonyms around the words of what your business does. You can either use the thesaurus function from your word processor or thesaurus.com to come up with additional synonyms.
From there, you can cross off bad ideas or any terms you don’t like.
4. Phrases Your Audience and Competition Uses
Your business exists for your target audience, so it’s important to consider phrases and terms they use when talking about bagels.
There are quite a few places you can look to see what your customers (and competitors) are saying, including:
- Facebook groups, posts, and stories
- Competitor websites, brochures, and flyers
- Magazines or blogs
Alternatively, you can ask friends or relatives in your target audience. Hearing it directly from them may help you brainstorm and narrow down your choices.
Remember to avoid anything limiting your business’s future growth if you decide to go in another direction down the road.
5. What’s Your Specialty?
Do you sell something in addition to bagels? Maybe you also sell great coffee or sandwiches.
Regardless of your specialty, consider alluding to it in the name of your business.
6. Neighborhoods, Cities, and Nicknames
Including the name of your city, street, or neighborhood is an excellent way to encourage local shopping and create a strong sense of community in your area.
You can also think about nicknames for your city or neighborhood, as well. Here are some examples to use as inspiration:
- 358 Bagel Emporium
- Aloha Bagels Maui
- Family Bagels of Long Island
- Golden Gate Bagels
- New York Bagel Boys
With that said, make sure the name you choose isn’t limiting if you decide to move or expand your bagel shop down the road.
7. Incorporate Your Name
If you’re still struggling to find the perfect name, consider using your name, a nickname, or something personal and unique to you.
This is a fantastic way to build a personal brand if that’s something you want to do. Some great examples of this in action include:
- Mama Lu’s Bagel Shop
- Smiley Bagel & Grill
- Uncle Nick’s Bagels & Subs
If you go this route, keep in mind it may make it harder to sell your bagel shop later on.
List of Catchy Bagel Shop Names
Here is a list of existing bagel shop names that may help you come up with some creative ideas. While many of these names may be available for you to use, be sure to check first to be sure they can be used.
Tips on how to check business name availability are after the list of names!
- 3 Guys Bagels
- 358 Bagel Emporium
- 5 Borough Bagels
- Absolute Bagels
- Abundance Bagel
- Alchemy Bagel Co.
- All Star Bagel By The Beach
- Aloha Bagels Maui
- Alphabet City Bagels
- Anthem Bagel Co
- Back Home Bagels
- Bagel Artists
- Bagel Bar
- Bagel Bistro
- Bagel Boss
- Bagel Brothers
- Bagel Brunch Express
- Bagel Emporium
- Bagel Factory
- Bagel Haus
- Bagel Hero
- Bagel House
- Bagel Joint
- Bagel Nosh Of Rockaway
- Bagel Palace
- Bagel Place Cafe
- Bagel Pub
- Bagel Schmagel
- Bagel Time
- Bagel World
- Bagelati Cafe
- Bagelicious & More
- Bagelman Bagels
- Bagels & Brew
- Bagels & Joe
- Bagels By Jarrett
- Bagels On The Run
- Bagels Unlimited
- Bakery City Bagels
- Bayside Bagels
- Beach Bagels
- Best Bagels on the Upper West Side
- Better On A Bagel
- Beyond Bagels
- Big Dom’s Bagel Shop
- Big O Bagel
- Black Bear Bagels
- Black Sheep Bagel Cafe
- Blue Mountain Bagel Co
- Blue Sky Bagels
- Bottoms Up Bagels
- Bread Box
- Brewster Hot Bagels
- Broken Bagel Co
- Brooklyn Bagel On The Square
- Brother’s Bagel & Café
- Brown Bagel & Deli
- Bubbie’s Bagels
- Bunch-O-Bagels
- Capital Bagel
- Chicago Bagel Authority
- Cleveland Bagel Co
- Collegetown Bagels
- Corner Bagelry
- Daily Bagel
- Dave & Daisy Bagel Co
- Dave’s Bagels
- Deli Central Bagel
- Dough Joe’s Artisan Doughnuts, Bagels & Coffee
- Dragonfly Bagel Co
- East Coast Bagels Co.
- Empire State Bagels
- Family Bagels Of Long Island
- Fat Boys Bagels
- Fresh Gourmet Bagel & Cafe
- Friendly Bagels
- Gingerbread House
- Golden Gate Bagels
- Holesome Bagels
- Holey Bagel
- Homemade Bagels
- House Of Bagels
- Jekyll & Hyde Bagels
- Joe’s Bagel & Grill
- Lee Avenue Bagels
- Left Hand Bagels
- Lefty’s Bagels
- Lou’s Bagel Nook
- Lox Of Bagels
- Mad For Bagel’s
- Mama Lu’s Bagel Shop
- Metro Bagels & Deli
- Miracle Bagels
- Mister Bagel
- New York Bagel Boys
- New Yorker Bagels
- Noah’s NY Bagels
- North Idaho Bagel
- NYC Bagel and Sandwich Shop
- Orange County Bagel
- Original Hot Bagels
- Ozark Mountain Bagel Co
- Pick A Bagel
- Pigeon Bagels
- Puddletown Bagels
- Rainbow Bagel
- Red Dog Bagels
- Rock Hill Bagels
- Shmagels Bagels
- Slangin’ Bagels Deli & Cafe
- Smiley Bagel & Grill
- Southland Bagel
- Star Bagels
- Super Fresh Bagel Mart
- Swan City Bagels
- Syosset Bagel Corp
- The Bagel Bakery Café
- The Bagel Broker
- The Bagelry
- The Great Bagel Co
- The Posh Bagel
- Tompkin’s Square Bagels
- Uber Bagels & Deli
- Uncle Benny’s Donut and Bagel
- Uncle Nick’s Bagels & Subs
- Water Street Bagel Co
- West Coast Bagel Co
- Westside Bagels
- Whata Bagel
- Wiches Bagels & Brew
- Wood Fired Bagels & Pies
- Yeasty Boy’s Bagels
Is Your Bagel Shop Name Available to Use?
At this point, you should have several top considerations to choose from. And the best way to narrow it down further is to check each one for availability.
This step is necessary because using a name that someone else is using could be very costly, time-consuming to rebrand your business, and possibly embarrassing. There are several places to look to check whether a name is available to use, so let’s walk through a few of the more common ones.
Can the business name be registered in your state?
If you plan to use a specific business name, you may be required by the state to verify it’s available to use.
Related: How to check business name availability in your state
Is your name already trademarked?
When searching for a name for your new business, you should check that your new name isn’t trademarked by someone else. If it is, you may not be allowed to use it legally.
Thankfully, the United States Patent Trademark Office (USPTO) makes trademark searching a breeze through their Trademark Database.
A name isn’t necessarily available if it doesn’t appear in this search. Every business has some limited protection through a common law trademark. This means another business can’t open up down the street with the same name, as this creates confusion for customers. Also, check local competitors by doing a Google search and looking through the Yellow Pages.
If your name is available and you want to protect it from being used by anyone else, you can register it with the USPTO.
Related: How to check for a trademark
Finding the Perfect Name: Putting It All Together
By now, you should have a lengthy list of words, phrases, and terms you can use in your business name. At this point, I highly recommend going through and removing any that are hard to spell or pronounce.
Now, you can start combining pieces together until something stands out. It may help to create a list of potential names you can use. From there, you can narrow things down to your favorites.
But before you make your final decision, it’s important that your new name passes a few tests.
Say It Out Loud
Make sure you say your new name out loud. It may look great as a logo, domain name, and on a business card. But it also needs to sound good when you say it out loud.
You can also sit down with someone and talk about your business. Does saying the name in casual conversation sound natural? If not, you may want to consider something simpler or easier to say.
Logo Design
Lastly, think about how to incorporate your new name into a logo. Logos should be simple, memorable, and indicative of your brand.
Take Apple, for example. Their business name is easily incorporated into a logo. And today, it’s a household symbol that everyone immediately recognizes.
A logo is an important part of your brand identity, so don’t forget to consider turning your name into a memorable logo as you make your final decision.
Related: How to create a logo for your business.
Hopefully, you now have some ideas for the name of your bagel shop. Once you have narrowed this list to just a few and researched that they are all available, start asking friends, family, and potential customers their thoughts to get feedback, and then pick your perfect bagel shop name!
