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You came here for bakery names, so let’s start off with some names. Whether you’re looking for a cute name to fit your shop’s darling aesthetic, a funny name to make people smile when they walk past, or a perfect name to suit your shop’s niche, you’re sure to find a perfect bakery name idea.
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Maybe your shop has delicate, sweet vibes (no pun intended) or your treats just look downright cute. If that’s the case, you might want a cute bakery name. Here are some of our favorites:
When you’re starting a bakery, one of the most important steps you’ll need to complete is coming up with a business name. But for many small business owners, creating a name is a monumental task; if you’re struggling, you’re in good company.
Thankfully, help is on the way: we’ve compiled a list of over 600 bakery name ideas to inspire your business name. Whether you use one of these names as-is or tweak one into a personalized moniker, you’ll be well on your way to naming your bakery.
One quick note before we go further: just because we’ve included a particular name on this list doesn’t mean that it’s available in your state. It’s your responsibility to check that your desired business name isn’t infringing on any protected names, so please do your homework.
Everybody likes to laugh, and everybody likes sweets — so why not combine the two in a fun business name? Here are some funny name ideas to get you started.
If you want a memorable business name, you might try for something catchy — a name that sticks in someone’s head long after they hear it. Here are some of our top picks for catchy bakery names.
Maybe your target market is a young, hip crowd, or you just want a name that sounds modern. Here are a few fantastic modern bakery name ideas to choose from.
Modern names aren’t for everyone. Maybe your shop exudes 70s vibes, or you just want to give a nod to your customers’ favorite nostalgic era. If that’s you, a vintage name might be more your speed. Here are some great vintage bakery name ideas.
If you want a unique business name, then you might want something clever — something that makes someone wonder, “Why didn’t I think of that?” Here are some clever and catchy bakery names.
If you plan to have a retail location that sells desserts of all kinds, you’ll need a name that’s general enough to reflect your variety, but unique enough to stand out to customers. Here are some fantastic dessert shop name ideas.
If you’re operating a home-based bakery, you might decide to highlight your independence and homemade priorities in your business name. Here are some great options for home bakery names.
If you sell sweets through an online storefront, you’ll need a name that can stand out on the World Wide Web. Here are some of our top picks:
Will you specialize in a specific sweet treat? You might decide to have your business name reflect that specialty. Whether you’ll serve pies, donuts, cheesecake, or anything in between, you’ll find a great name idea here.
Do you create treats that cater to specific dietary restrictions? Or do you focus on creating guilt-free goodies? Here are some of our favorite diet-friendly name ideas.
Do you love a specific region’s cuisine, such as French goodies or Italian sweets? Or will you cater to your city’s unique treats? Here are some of our favorite regionally-inspired bakery names.
If you have not found your just-right bakery business name from the list above try using naming tools like generators. Here are tips for your best results from business name generators.
To name your bakery, start by researching and brainstorming a list of keywords related to your niche. These are the terms you’ll enter into the tool to generate names. In general, the more focused and creative your keywords are, the better your results will be.
You probably already know a few keywords off hand, but if you’re looking for more, searching your business type (like dessert shop, cake bakery, etc.) can show you some related words other businesses are using. For example, you might find words like these:
Another source of creative keywords to use in the name tool is a glossary of baking terms. For example, you might use keywords like baker’s dozen, caramel, confectioners, cream, glaze, knead, whisk, zest, or something else.
Armed with your list of keywords, it’s time to experiment by entering your keywords into the generator. For each entry you make, the generator will suggest new names. So, it’s good to play around a bit. Input different combos: a keyword at a time, a couple at once, and so on. By the end, you’ll have a wide variety of name ideas.
Now let’s take those names you generated and customize them. You can sometimes use the generated names as-is, but often, a little personal touch goes a long way. Even just adding your personal name or a nickname can really make your name stand out. You can also integrate your city name or some regional flair with your city name or a cultural reference local customers might understand.
By now, you should have a shortlist of names you like. We’ll narrow it down to “the one” in the next step.
As part of picking your business name, you’ll need to do a little “legal homework.” But don’t worry; it’s not too tedious! However, it is your responsibility to ensure that your bakery business name doesn’t infringe on a protected business name. States protect the names of registered businesses (LLCs, corporations, etc.), preventing other businesses from using the same name. And some businesses have their names protected by trademarks.
To check that your name is available, you should run a business name search on your state’s website and a trademark search with the United States Patent and Trademark Office and the office in your state that oversees state trademarks. Generally speaking, if you search your name against these databases and no matches pop up, then your name is probably available to use. Still, you’ll also want to do Internet searches to make sure no one else is using your desired name.
If your name matches one of these searches, you’ll need to make some changes.
After you’ve ensured that your desired names are available, you might want to “focus group” your name ideas. Ask friends, family, and potential customers what they think. Would they tweak the name somehow? Do they have other ideas? Are there any unintended negative connotations that your name evokes?
Even just a few casual conversations can help you decide if your name is perfect or needs a little more work. You might even find that a potential customer suggests the perfect name for you!
Once you’ve decided on the perfect name, you’ve done a lot of hard work; it’s time to ensure that work doesn’t go to waste by protecting your name.
The easiest (but most temporary) method is to file a name reservation in your state. This process is designed to keep your name protected, or reserved, until you have the opportunity to file your state’s formation documents. In many states, a name reservation lasts for roughly 120 days. During that time, no other businesses can register under your reserved name.
There are more permanent ways to protect your name, however: registering under the name and registering a trademark.
If you plan to operate as an LLC or corporation, filing your Articles of Organization or Articles of Incorporation will add your name to the state’s records. Afterward, no other business in your state will be allowed to register with the same name.
The exact process of registering an LLC or corporation varies from state to state. It’s also important to note that this process doesn’t work for unincorporated businesses or sole proprietorships. It also doesn’t prevent businesses in other states from using your name. That’s where a trademark comes in.
The United States Patent and Trademark Office offers the most robust protection for business names: a federal trademark. If you hold a federal trademark of your name, no other business in the country will be allowed to infringe on your name — and you’ll have the opportunity to take legal action if they do.
Registering a trademark is a complicated, lengthy, and expensive process, but you might find it worth the effort. If you do decide to go this route, it’s highly recommended to consult with a trademark attorney for professional, customized guidance through the process.
Another option is to register for a state trademark. State trademarks are easier and less expensive to obtain, but they only apply within the borders of your state. Search your state website for the office that oversees state trademarks. They should have instructions for the process there. Usually, it involves simply completing a form and paying a small fee. In most states, you’ll have to periodically renew the trademark.
When you’re coming up with a business name, it can be helpful to look to the greats for inspiration. What are the successful bakery businesses choosing for names these days?
When you read the names listed below, what do you think about each brand? Why does each name work? Some are catchy, and others are minimalistic or elegant.
And this is just a short list of successful bakeries. You can probably also think of some names for the top shops in your area.
Inspired by these bakery names, how can you make your name a success, too?
Launching a business is an exciting but stressful endeavor, but you don’t have to do everything alone. Here at ZenBusiness, we specialize in cutting down red tape and paperwork. Whether you need help building a business website, forming a limited liability company (LLC) or corporation, or anything in between, we’ll handle it. With our help, you’ll be free to focus on launching your bakery business.
Try creating a unique bakery name by combining words from two different sources: your personality (fun, quirky, loud) and the ingredients that you use (vanilla, chocolate, cinnamon).
For example, if you’re really outgoing and like to bake pies, then “Pie-licious Pies” would be a good choice! Or, if you’re a hippy chick and bake bread, consider naming your bakery Love+Flour. You get the idea — add your personality for unique and memorable name ideas.
If you want to come up with more unique bakery name ideas, why don’t you pick out something that represents your business? Maybe you could use the location of your shop (downtown, riverside, farm) or maybe even just a word that evokes emotion (and a pang of hunger for baked goods) such as savor, scrumptious, satisfy, or cherish.
Bakery is a great business because it’s typically recession-resistant — people don’t stop wanting baked goods. As a result, customer demand is strong, consistent, and year-round.
Bread, cakes, and cookies are usually substantially cheaper to produce than fresh foods (such as burgers and salads). Thus, bakeries have more potential for high margins in lean economic times.
Baked goods are one of the major drivers of retail food sales globally. Custom cake decoration has remained strong due to people looking for easy yet elegant ways to personalize their cakes.
Bakers can choose to work with a large or small variety of baked goods or specialize in just one product line: bread, pies, cheesecake, or cupcakes. This type of industry flexibility allows bakers to indulge their passions, practice their talents, and expand as the market and their desires lead.
I’ve consulted for many bakeries over the years. In my experience, most bakery owners make between $50k and $80k per year. According to ZipRecruiter, top earners (very few) earn over $135,000, and the lowest (small shops or part-time bakers) make approximately $25,500.
Your baker’s salary will be affected by your sales volume, pricing minus expenses, and overhead.
Bakeries can be rather profitable, depending on several factors. The type of bakery and size all play a part in how reliably profitable they are from year to year. The location of your bakery will also have an impact, and customer loyalty has to be considered.
According to Resourceful CEO, the average bakery profit margin is 4-6%, with the highest margin bakeries making a gross profit margin of 9-20%.
The real key to profiting from a bakery is based on how much turnover you have to be baked regularly and sold at the full retail price before going stale (which varies by type of product, too).
Bakery stores have the advantage of longer refrigerated shelf life and higher retail prices. Wholesale bakeries typically turn inventory more quickly, but this can be a disadvantage since they don’t get to take as much profit from each item sold.
Know that the best way to create a sustainable business is by charging enough for your products so that you can at least cover all of your bakery costs and make a small profit.
The industry-standard formula to calculate COGS (cost of goods sold) is per serving + labor costs per item + Variable overhead costs.
A great resource is the Book of Yields, which will help you find average weights and calculate your recipes by weight to determine your costs per ounce or gram. Then you can more accurately price your baked goods to cover your expenses and make a profit also.
Here is advice from a professional bakery owner on Reddit — once you find the cost per dozen cupcakes (or a different item) divide that by 12 to determine the cost of 1 cupcake. Most restaurants want a food cost between 20-30%, so you can divide the price of 1 cupcake by 0.20 or 0.30 to find the ideal sale cost. For example, let’s say it costs $12 to produce a dozen cupcakes, so it costs $1 to make each cupcake. So with a food cost of 20%, the selling price should be around $5 per cupcake. But that’s a pretty simplistic example.
Your bakery licensing requirement will vary depending on what type of bakery you plan to open, wholesale, retail, mail-order, or online, and your particular city and U.S. state of operations. However, listed below are the licenses typically required to sell your baked goods.
To find out exactly which licenses are required by your state for bakeries, search using our business license lookup service.
Disclaimer: The content on this page is for information purposes only and does not constitute legal, tax, or accounting advice. If you have specific questions about any of these topics, seek the counsel of a licensed professional.
Written by Team ZenBusiness
ZenBusiness has helped people start, run, and grow over 700,000 dream companies. The editorial team at ZenBusiness has over 20 years of collective small business publishing experience and is composed of business formation experts who are dedicated to empowering and educating entrepreneurs about owning a company.
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