How to Choose a BBQ Name + 50 BBQ Name Ideas to Inspire You

BBQ Restaurant Business Name Ideas

Thinking of opening your own barbecue restaurant? Now’s a great time to do it. The BBQ restaurant industry was valued at 5.1 billion dollars in 2019, and is expected to rise to 8.1 billion dollars by 2023.

One of the first steps in building your BBQ restaurant business is choosing the right name. It’ll be attached to your branding forever, and lead people to your business. That means your BBQ restaurant’s name has to be something you love, and one that represents your business effectively.

Here are four major steps for identifying the right name for your BBQ restaurant, along with ideas to further inspire your new and exciting business venture!

How do I choose a BBQ restaurant business name?

It all starts with brainstorming. Here are a few ideas to jumpstart your name-generating process:

• Write down your vision for your BBQ restaurant business, focusing on its mission and core values

• Make sure your desired name isn’t already taken

• Play around with a name generator to spark new ideas

• Reach out to your community for name ideas

What are good BBQ restaurant business names?

A great BBQ restaurant name is unique to your business. It should stick in the minds of your patrons, reminding them of your brand and representing your personality. It should also reflect what goods and services your business offers. It should be simple to remember and to spell, so that potential patrons can easily find you on Google or social media.

1. Write down your vision for your BBQ restaurant business

Start thinking about your mission statement, which describes who you are, why you’re here, and what you plan to accomplish as a new enterprise in your community. These details will all influence your business’ name. Then, use the exercise below to get your creative juices flowing. 

Grab a pen and paper and write down the following:

• The kind of food you’ll be offering

• Your core values and mission

• The personality and vibe of your restaurant 

• Adjectives you’d use to describe your restaurant 

• Your name (and the name of your business partners, if any) 

• Any family names that are important to you

• The neighborhood or town where your restaurant will be located

The purpose of this exercise is to pull out words and phrases that describe your BBQ restaurant business, which may make up part or all of its name. 

When you run out of things to add, go back and read over your list of words and phrases, circling your favorites. These will all be building blocks for your future business name.

2. Choose a name that isn’t already taken

Needless to say, it’s important to make sure your BBQ restaurant’s name doesn’t already exist. Once you've settled on a handful of contenders, run each one through the following resources to ensure they aren’t already in use by existing businesses.

• Google search

• Google My Business

• The Yellow Pages 

• The Better Business Bureau

• The United States Patent and Trademark Office’s Trademark database search

Be thorough with your research, as copyright infringement can come with steep penalties. To learn more about copyright infringement, visit Copyright.gov.

3. Use a name generator to spark new ideas. 

Name generators are an excellent tool to inspire different word combinations you hadn’t considered before. 

Some generators ask for guidance in the form of keywords, while others simply assemble random combinations of words. No matter the generator, it’s good to have your keyword shortlist on hand. 

Sure, some of the suggested names and combos will be unusable. But they’ll still help you determine what you like and what you don’t.

Restaurant and Bakery Name Generators

• Namelix Restaurant Name Generator 

• Buzztime Restaurant Name Generator

• Fantasy Name Generators' Restaurant Name Generator

• Business Name Generator

• Kopywriting Kourse Restaurant Name Generator

4. Reach out to your community for business name ideas

Most people who start BBQ restaurants do so to create something special for their community. So why not build a relationship with locals from day one? Asking your community to contribute to the name brainstorming process is a fantastic way to build your relationship, and will get them excited for your launch.

Social media is an excellent platform for community-building. You can reach out through social media using strategic posts and engagement. Think about asking your community members to suggest names, or vote on your favorites through Instagram or Facebook posts and stories.

To build traction around your social media posts, consider including a raffle, giveaway, or future discounts for those who participate. Get creative with this! The more unique and special your offer, the more likely people will contribute their name ideas.

50 Real BBQ restaurant Name Ideas to Inspire You

Taking some name inspiration from successful BBQ restaurants is never a bad idea. These names can help you identify the theme and style you’re going for. Do you want your name to be creative? To rhyme? Or just be funny? No matter what style you’re aiming for, these established BBQ restaurant names will lend a hand in your naming process.

Here are 50 of the best BBQ restaurant business names around the country: 

Creative BBQ restaurant Business Names

1. J-Bar-M Barbecue – Houston, TX 

2. Mighty Quinn's Barbeque – New York, NY 

3. The Pit Room – Houston, TX 

4. Queens Bully – New York, NY 

5. The Slow Bone – Dallas, TX 

6. Smoke In The Pit – Minneapolis, MN 

7. Blue Smoke – New York, NY 

8. Sweet Cheeks – Boston, MA 

9. Southern Kitchen PDX – Portland, OR

10. Big Daddy'z BBQ & Grill – Folsom, PA

Unique BBQ restaurant Business Names 

1. Triple J's Smokehouse BBQ – Houston, TX

2. Truth BBQ – Houston, TX 

3. Off the Bone Barbeque – Dallas, TX 

4. Hunter Boys Southern Style Barbeque – St Paul, MN

5. Edley’s Bar-B-Que – Nashville, TN

6. Goldee's Barbecue – Fort Worth, TX 

7. Huff and Puff BBQ – Philadelphia, PA

8. Homegrown Smoker – Portland, OR 

9. Long Shot BBQ – Philadelphia, PA

10. Smoke & Barrel – Washington, DC 

11. Off The Bone BBQ – Forest Hill, TX

Rhyming or Alliterative BBQ restaurant Business Names

1. Brett's Barbecue Shop – Houston, TX 

2. Memphis Minnie's BBQ – San Francisco, CA 

3. Myron Mixon's Pitmaster Barbeque – New York, NY 

4. Boomin Barbecue – Minneapolis, MN 

5. Baby Back Shak – Dallas, TX 

6. Jellybean and Julia's – Anoka, MN

7. Podnah's Pit BBQ – Portland, OR

8. Swig & Swine – Charleston, SC

9. Beast Barbecue – Minneapolis, MN

10. The People's Pig – Portland, OR

11. Blood Bros. Barbecue – Houston, TX 

12. Smoke Squad – Portland, OR

13. Babb Bros. BBQ – Dallas, TX

14. Boney's Barbeque – Denver, CO

15. Bourbon & Bailey's BBQ – New Orleans, LA

16. Central City BBQ – New Orleans, LA

Funny BBQ restaurant Business Names

1. Dinosaur Bar-B-Que – New York, NY 

2. Shotgun Willie’s – Nashville, TN

3. Rusty Can – Byfield, MA

4. Pig In A Pickle – Emeryville, CA 

5. Best Lil' Porkhouse – San Rafael, CA

6. Bounty Hunter Wine Bar & Smokin' BBQ – Napa, CA

7. The Gambling Stick – Nashville, TN

8. Peg Leg Porker – Nashville, TN

9. The Rib Guy – Charleston, SC

10. Pig Floyd's BBQ – Palmetto Bay, FL

11. Ugly Dog Saloon & BBQ – New Orleans, LA

12. The Porch Southern Fare & Juke Joint – Medford, MA

13. Drinking Pig BBQ – Miami, FL

BBQ restaurant Name? Check.

Once you’ve picked your name, it’s time to take the next steps towards success. That means building your business plan and plotting the path forward. Soon enough, you’ll be the go-to BBQ spot for everyone in town.