The Name Game: the final 2

This post is more difficult for me to write than I had imagined it would be. But it has to be done.

Today we bid adieu to our dear friend olallie.

Olallie has been the name associated with my restaurant for well over a year. I registered the name with City Hall during the olallieberry season before last, shortly after discovering a neighbor's blackberry bush hanging over my future restaurant's backyard. Since that time, the name has been publicized frequently on this blog, on other food blogs, and in the print media, including the San Francisco Chronicle, Edible San Francisco and the local Noe Valley Voice.

While the name had its critics, I shall always remember the loyalty that olallie's fans have shown throughout this Name Game process. I heart you, my dear olallistas! Please accept my sincere apologies! Your emails and comments took me by surprise and truly touched my heart. I had no idea how much some of you liked the name.

I have been impressed by your fierce determination to convince me to keep the name olallie. I've made herculean efforts to use your persuasive arguments to reframe my own thinking. There was the existing buzz. The hassle of changing the name. The poetic, feminine sound of the name. The connection to local farms. All true. All are reasons why I chose the name in the first place. I was most impressed when, after suggesting that my restaurant's name should convey a sense of sharing the table with friends, one commenter mentioned that olallieberries, which grow in clusters, could be seen as a symbol of connection. You really had me with that one. I was nearly hooked.

But something just didn't sit right with me. I started this seemingly interminable Name Game for one simple reason. I had fallen out of love with olallie. I knew in my heart that I had to change the name. I am not the same person who selected the name olallie. The circumstances of my life have changed too much these past 6 months. I have changed. I see life differently now. I see my restaurant differently. My restaurant will not be the same as it would have been had I opened it as planned (the doors would have opened this month had I not halted construction in June). Although it's strange to admit, I know in my heart that all these changes have made me a better, happier man. I also know that these changes will result in a far better, more convivial restaurant.

As you will eventually learn, the choice to say goodbye to olallie was mine alone. It was not based on the results of yesterday's poll.

So, dear friends of olallie, I hope you will forgive me and will come to embrace the new name as warmly as you did olallie. After all, we are only talking about some little neighborhood restaurant's name. What's in a name, any way? What really matters is the complete package: the food, service, and ambience. (By the way, no, I won't be asking you to vote on menu items. I vow that after today you will never ever see a poll on this blog again).

Speaking of which, let's not forget our final poll. The Name Game isn't over yet! What on earth are we going to call this little neighborhood restaurant? Please vote and leave comments! And remember, bribes are not only accepted but encouraged.

My restaurant's new name will be announced Monday at 4pm Pacific Standard Time (12 midnight GMT).

Comments

[anita]

The fact that you've fallen out of love with Olallie alone is enough for me to tell you to let it go. Its fans -- myself included -- get over it. And I'm not just saying this because of Ampersand; I have thought this for a while but none of the alternatives had been any more appealing.

[anita]

That should say "Its fans -- myself included -- will get over it."

[Nicole]

Change is good Brett, especially when it means that you're a happier man. Your restaurant, by any name, will be loved, because it will be yours.
Speaking of menu items, maybe you could give a nod to Olallie?
And you of course know about the award winning wine that is made in the Santa Cruz mountains from Olallieberries?

O.k. Anita, I'm letting go. Really........ : )

[barbara]

OK Anita I'm over it.

[Anita]

Sorry, Nicole & Barbara -- I didn't meant to say "get over it"! I meant that we WILL get over it. That will teach me to type so early in the morning. :D

[NS]

I like the sentiment behind "Ampersand," and I can certainly envision some interesting graphic design options using the symbol in conjunction with the word. What keeps getting in the way for me, though, is the sound of the word itself. While oo and oh may be the vowel sounds that are the most pleasing to the ear, it strikes me that the "short a" sound is one of the least melodious. And "Ampersand" has not just one of these sounds, but two.

The other reason I prefer "Contigo" is that the word itself conveys a certain sense of excitement and flair, telling prospective diners that they might expect to dine on food that is infused with some interesting influences. "Ampersand" seems nondescript in this regard, revealing little -- if anything -- about what kind of food to expect. Put another way, if I saw a restaurant named "Contigo" and another one called "Ampersand," I would immediately be intrigued by and drawn to check out the former. And while the importance of this initial name-based impression will undoubtedly diminish as your restaurant develops a reputation and a following, it still suggests to me that "Contigo" is a better fit with your actual concept.

[Dr. Biggles]

Hmmm, Ampersand? Yeah, just gave me an image of some corporate lunch room catered by that company that does movie sets or something. Or some downtown cafe filled with geeks on their laptops. Gonk, yeth, meet me and Cory down at Ampersand and we can chat on our laptops from 2 feet away. gonk.

Contigo. Wasn't a fan at first turn, rhymes with Stratego. But it seems to be creeping around nicely though. As though it means business, ain't no mussin' with a Contigo. Olallie is too playful, I wouldn't want to eat meat at a place called Olallie. If I ordered something braised at Contigo I'd know it was done right.

xo

ie

[emily]

You probably have your mind made up already, but I figured I throw in the reasoning for my vote since the other comments seem to be going the other way. I liked Olallie best before, despite thinking that you should pick something new to reflect your recent change in outlook, because it was whimsical and fresh. Now, I like Ampersand best.

Contigo is just okay for me. I liked the word when I learned it in eighth grade Spanish class, but it just doesn't say "restaurant" to me. I don't think it adequately represents the cool Barcelona hangout feeling that you've been going for.

Ampersand has more of that whimsy, and I can see the name standing out while also fitting in well in Noe Valley. I love having occasion to use the symbol, and I can only imagine the fun you'd have picking the "&" in the right font for your advertising. (I'm not sure how you'd advertise Contigo graphically.) Ampersand has style to me; Contigo is more generic.

Having said all of that, I'm looking forward to the big reveal. And I will gladly walk up the hill from the Mission to eat at your restaurant often, no matter its name. (Assuming I can resist the temptation of Hamano Sushi...)

[emily]

You know, the possible geek connection for Ampersand may not be a bad thing. Noe Valley was a popular place to live in the dot.com days, so it may give Ampersand a better connection to the neighborhood than its competitor. Just a thought.

[Tea]

I am the biggest fan of the ampersand that there is (no accident that the title of both my blog and my eventual book have apersands in them). That said, I'm all for Contigo here. I didn't know what the word meant the first time I heard it (I studied German and Japanese, never Spanish) but I love the romantic feel of it and it has forward motion--actually made me think of the concept of going forward, which is wonderful and apt.

When I hear Contigo I imagine good lighting and a cool vibe. With Ampersand I just imagine a cool sign, but it has no romance (I hate to say it) or atmosphere to lift it up. It's a quirky and fun but cold and flat word. Contigo, on the other hand, has depth and warmth.

That said, I'm eating there regardless:-)

[Anita]

One of the guys in my office says "Contigo sounds like some sort of auto-immune disorder" :D