Pour 3 — Choosing A Name That Sticks.
Naming a bar calls for a large amount of creativity and planning. I mean…it’s all about branding, right? Choose something catchy and unique. About 4 years ago when the thought of opening a bar first entered my mind, I probably filled up about 3 napkins with names I thought were catchy and unique. After all, its the name itself that is perhaps the greatest form of advertisement. However, you can’t just have a great name and attach it to an unrelated concept. A name like Bitter End doesn’t fit a martini/wine bar or ultra lounge, does it? That’s what those pretentious one-word names are for. 
If I ever opened a bar, it would be a so-called neighborhood bar with live music. A place for a solid happy hour with co-workers, and a place for great friends to hang out together in the evening. I took the names on my napkin, and did a search for them on Google. I was shooting for unique. I didn’t want to copy a cool name that a hundred other bars had already taken. Only a handful of the names I wrote down returned fewer than 10 results…and luckily in different cities.
Becoming A Reality
Four years later, this pipe dream is becoming a reality. I have a business partner I trust with a similar concept of what this bar should be. Unfortunately, I didn’t have my napkins anymore. But I did remember the few that stood out.
My friend, Brian, owns a T-Shirt from the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas. It is from the Rehab pool party on Sundays. I liked everything about the name, the logo (which features the “Rx” symbol), and the suggestive meaning behind the name itself. So, for a few days we were set on trying to make that name work. Then one night, I thought “Detox” would be neat with the “Rx” symbol as a watermark in the background. And then it came to me…
Retox Barâ„¢, San Antonio, TX
No “Rx”, but a catchy name nonetheless. I’ve gotten nothing but compliments about the name choice. There are 3 bars I could find with the name “Retox” in it: retoxbar in London, Retox Rock Bar in New York, and Retox Lounge in San Francisco. We are currently trying to come up with a logo. The logo above, I created in about 5 minutes. My brother came up with a few good ones that would make great TShirts, but we need simplicity for the logo. Here’s another example of something I threw out there. It’s definitely more colorful and has a certain draw to it, but the partial “recycle” logo doesn’t really fit. So, it was tossed from consideration.
Retox Barâ„¢, San Antonio, TX
Anyway, I’d like to know what you think…about the name, the logo, and anything else you want to throw in there. For you Photoshop-minded folks, any submissions are welcome.
If you missed Pour 1 & 2, be sure to check them out.
Pour 1 — Can I Buy You A Drink?
Pour 2 — Realize Your Business Goals. Do Your Research.
RETOX BAR SAN ANTONIO
Popularity: 8% [?]
Popular Posts
Categories
TAGS
Recent Comments
- scott: Spurs!! Baby!
- Mr Bean: I have several Toshiba products including TV’s and a laptop computer and have always find there...
- Tone Jon Van: I agree the man is pure game. He deserves what he got and I wish him the best of luck. I don’t...
- HDTV Adaptors: This TV reminds me of the 37′ Viewsonic at costco. I got an amazing deal on it. How much did...
- theCommish: We will definitely have some content for your site after our tourney on August 2nd, 2008 in Ballwin, MO...
July 26th, 2007 at 3:15 pm
I really like the name. Very unique. Just my honest opinion, but the top logo instantly reminded me of the Metallica logo. Not saying that’s a good thing or bad thing. Just what popped into my head when I first saw it. Now I need to jam some Metallica on the way home from work…SANITARIUM!
July 26th, 2007 at 5:39 pm
I like the name, it is pretty catchy and easy to remember. I’ve got a bar/club name ready if I ever decide to pursue that as well.
As for the logo, I agree that you were right to scrap that 2nd one. The first one isn’t bad, it is simple enough but still has a nice look to it.
July 26th, 2007 at 7:57 pm
Nice. Hey Derrich, I just wanted to let you know that I added on you on my Jet Train.
http://www.cashforcomments.com/contest-jet-train
check it out and participate.
July 27th, 2007 at 1:51 pm
[…] except, well, it’s telling you that you need to “tox” again. This is definitely a name that sticks. Check out the funky logos he has going on […]
July 28th, 2007 at 12:07 am
I’d have to say I really like the bottom logo - it implies an action, references but plays off the recycle symbol, simply awesome
However, I’m not sure about the way the ‘bar’ overlaps in the lower right - that part of the logo seems crowded to me.
July 28th, 2007 at 12:50 am
Nice name
Too bad you didn’t have the napkins to look back on the names you were considering!! I’m not much of a photoshop guru, so I’ll stray away from the logo aspect.
It’s definitely true that the name of your business is one of the most important. It ALWAYS should relate to the product/service you’re offering. That’s what my brother and I made sure of when thinking of a name.
-Gregg
August 6th, 2007 at 3:07 pm
[…] a small dive. July 2007 was a busy month for me…particularly with the progressive opening of Retox Bar. While I’ve continued to make regular contributions to Derrich.com, I haven’t been able […]
August 8th, 2007 at 1:43 pm
[…] I mentioned in Choosing A Name That Sticks, we have already fought half the battle by choosing a catchy name that people will remember. Now […]
December 9th, 2007 at 12:35 pm
[…] those of you that are curious to know how my bar is coming along…let’s just say we’re almost there. Needless to say< i’ve learned […]