Miami Beach is not just unforgettable for the city’s azure colored, crystal clear waters, over the top nightlife, great restaurants and sexy, beautiful residents. You’ll also notice something rather quirky about this city: Miami Beach businesses have names that will stick with you even after you leave. For instance, notice something unique about our restaurants? Their monikers are amusing and unforgettable. Want to try some delicious Southern fare? Then Yardbird is for you. Luxury dining at the W Hotel? The Dutch is your answer. Want to sample Thai street food? Then you can’t go wrong with the newly open Patpong Road, named after one of Bangkok’s most notorious streets. And Tongue & Cheek is one of the hottest restaurants on the Beach right now. Big Pink, A Fish Called Avalon and Tantra are some other noteworthy eateries in the city.
“Miami Beach is unforgettable for any number of reasons,” says Jeff Lehman, Chair, the Miami Beach Visitor and Convention Authority. “But we have some really original and eclectic business names in this city that we’re sure often raise eyebrows but also demonstrate how creative and imaginative our entrepreneurs can be.”
Jamie DeRosa, owner and chef at Tongue & Cheek says he named his restaurant out of a sense of whimsy and levity, wanting to communicate the eatery’s personality through its name. “The restaurant and many of its menu items are all infused with humor, the idea being that we weren’t going to take ourselves too seriously,” says DeRosa. For instance, the restaurant’s cocktail menu includes the gin-based drink, The Walking Dead, named after DeRosa’s favorite TV show. The vodka-based drink, Cucomfortably Numb pays homage to a popular Pink Floyd song.
In a city known for its fun, energetic and cool vibe, it’s not surprising that the geneses of many quirky business names are based in humor and/or homage to other people, places and things. For instance, Miami Beach is also novel for its rather remarkable groups of business names that are related by themes. Several historic preservation hotels are particularly notable. Many of them have been anointed with women’s names: Stroll around the city and you’ll walk past The Betsy, The Leslie and the Lorraine; also hotels that are nods to the military: The Cadet and The Delano and hotels that reference other cities, The Deauville, the Paris, the DiLido, the Marseilles, the Dorchester, the St. Moritz and others. Other unusual names include the restaurant Lost Weekend, bar/lounges Automatic Slim’s and Ted’s Hideaway and retail boutiques, Booboo and Experience Vanity.
Miami Beach, a great example that what’s in a name, matters.
