Manduka and the Art of Indian Restaurant Nomenclature in the US
Naming an Indian restaurant in the US is an art in itself. Here is a set of possible routes to take, based on different sets of variables:
1. If it is South Indian, name it as "X Bhavan", where X could be your favorite God (Ganesh, Saravana, Krishna, Balaji and Venkateshwara come to mind), your own name or the name of your son or father (Anand, Ashok etc.) or, more infrequently, the name of your wife or mother or daughter. (Arya Bhavan seems to be the only one I can recall, though can could refer to the Aryans just as well)
2. Continuing with South Indian restaurant names, my guess is that women prefer not to associate their names with a Bhavan at the end. So you have an array of standalone named-after-women restaurants, like Annapurna, Annalakshmi or Sujatha.
3. Name it after an Indian city that people have heard of - Bombay, Madras, New Delhi, Jaipur etc. Throw in a Garden or a Cuisine at the end to add variety.
4. If you offer chaat, make sure to have it in your name. And suffix it appropriately with a House or a Cafe or a Paradise.
5. Name it after items on your menu, or cooking utensils, or spices used. This could lead one to a Chutney, Dosa, Roti, Masala, Naan & Curry, Tasty Curry or a Tandoor.
6. Surprisingly the above mentioned category seems to be the one typically using most modern suffixes like a Bistro, Hut, Grill or Brasserie, instead of the more commonplace Oven or Garden or Cuisine. So we have Chutney Grill, Tandoor Bistro, Dosa Hut or any other combination thereof.
7. Name it after a type of cuisine. This seems to happen more with South Indian cuisines. So we have a Malabar, or an Udupi, or a Chettinad. With the appropriate chic or commonplace suffix of course, based on where you are located and what you charge for your food.
8. Then there are those that are supposedly reminiscient of the glorious days of the Raj. We have a Viceroy or Gaylords, or Maharaja, or just Raja, and of course the ubiquitous Passage to India.
9. Name it after some famous person, phrase or place in Indian history which people can remember. This leads to the Taj Mahal, Gandhi, Moghul, Nirvana, Monsoon, Ashoka the Great, Vermillion, Sher-e-Punjab, Lal Qila etc.
10. The more recent phenomenon that is catching on - name it after one of the gods-in-human-form. So we have Amma's Restaurant or Hotel Sai or Hotel Amritha.
11. Literally name it as somebody's kitchen - Hema's kitchen or Sue's Kitchen. Strangely naming it as this seems to appear as higher prices on the menu as well.
12. Then we have the dhaba varieties. Something or someone (da or ka) Dhaba. So we have The Dhaba, Lucky Dhaba, Punjabi Dhaba, Delhi Dhaba, Ambala Dhaba, Maya da Dhaba, Rajinder da Dhaba. Or, to reflect a successful partnership one could even have a "x ka y dhaba" as made famous in Swades - Melaram ka Mohan Dhaba, or Mohan ka Melaram Dhaba. Then of course there is just the plain and simple Desi Dhaba.
13. Reference to priceless gems or stars. These give rise to the "Jewel of India", or the "Hotel Shalimar", or the Koh-i-Noor. And the more generic "Star of India".
I am sure this leaves out some types as well, but these seem to cover most of the Indian restaurants I have been to in the US. Comments?
1. If it is South Indian, name it as "X Bhavan", where X could be your favorite God (Ganesh, Saravana, Krishna, Balaji and Venkateshwara come to mind), your own name or the name of your son or father (Anand, Ashok etc.) or, more infrequently, the name of your wife or mother or daughter. (Arya Bhavan seems to be the only one I can recall, though can could refer to the Aryans just as well)
2. Continuing with South Indian restaurant names, my guess is that women prefer not to associate their names with a Bhavan at the end. So you have an array of standalone named-after-women restaurants, like Annapurna, Annalakshmi or Sujatha.
3. Name it after an Indian city that people have heard of - Bombay, Madras, New Delhi, Jaipur etc. Throw in a Garden or a Cuisine at the end to add variety.
4. If you offer chaat, make sure to have it in your name. And suffix it appropriately with a House or a Cafe or a Paradise.
5. Name it after items on your menu, or cooking utensils, or spices used. This could lead one to a Chutney, Dosa, Roti, Masala, Naan & Curry, Tasty Curry or a Tandoor.
6. Surprisingly the above mentioned category seems to be the one typically using most modern suffixes like a Bistro, Hut, Grill or Brasserie, instead of the more commonplace Oven or Garden or Cuisine. So we have Chutney Grill, Tandoor Bistro, Dosa Hut or any other combination thereof.
7. Name it after a type of cuisine. This seems to happen more with South Indian cuisines. So we have a Malabar, or an Udupi, or a Chettinad. With the appropriate chic or commonplace suffix of course, based on where you are located and what you charge for your food.
8. Then there are those that are supposedly reminiscient of the glorious days of the Raj. We have a Viceroy or Gaylords, or Maharaja, or just Raja, and of course the ubiquitous Passage to India.
9. Name it after some famous person, phrase or place in Indian history which people can remember. This leads to the Taj Mahal, Gandhi, Moghul, Nirvana, Monsoon, Ashoka the Great, Vermillion, Sher-e-Punjab, Lal Qila etc.
10. The more recent phenomenon that is catching on - name it after one of the gods-in-human-form. So we have Amma's Restaurant or Hotel Sai or Hotel Amritha.
11. Literally name it as somebody's kitchen - Hema's kitchen or Sue's Kitchen. Strangely naming it as this seems to appear as higher prices on the menu as well.
12. Then we have the dhaba varieties. Something or someone (da or ka) Dhaba. So we have The Dhaba, Lucky Dhaba, Punjabi Dhaba, Delhi Dhaba, Ambala Dhaba, Maya da Dhaba, Rajinder da Dhaba. Or, to reflect a successful partnership one could even have a "x ka y dhaba" as made famous in Swades - Melaram ka Mohan Dhaba, or Mohan ka Melaram Dhaba. Then of course there is just the plain and simple Desi Dhaba.
13. Reference to priceless gems or stars. These give rise to the "Jewel of India", or the "Hotel Shalimar", or the Koh-i-Noor. And the more generic "Star of India".
I am sure this leaves out some types as well, but these seem to cover most of the Indian restaurants I have been to in the US. Comments?
posted by Kupa Manduka @ 12:21 PM
2 Comments:
Hilarious .. perfect writeup of the craziness of Indian restaurants here. Are you planning to start one? :)
I'm intrigued. Who are you?
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