11 Tasty Food Puns and Why Your Restaurant Marketing Needs Them
Can food and humor mix? So much better than you’d expect! Whether you’re a bar or restaurant owner, work in restaurant marketing, or are a self-proclaimed foodie, you’ll appreciate these tasty food puns.
Humor is also a useful tool for making both online and offline marketing more memorable, so read on for more tips on how to use them to up your own marketing efforts.
Food puns are at least as old as nacho cheese. But a quick look into Twitter shows they are alive and well in a modern medium.
Here are a few of our favorite #foodpuns from Twitter:
You need a Spookies & Scream #Cake because #foodpuns are the greatest. #halloween pic.twitter.com/QU2TNE9raL
— Jarosch Bakery (@JaroschBakery) October 27, 2016
No place for impastas here! #FoodQuotes#foodpuns pic.twitter.com/SHU1HF1SW0
— 48East (@fortyeighteast) October 27, 2016
What would u call an Oscar winning Japanese cocktail? Akira Curacao #pjs #badjokes #moviepuns #foodpuns #japanese #AkiraKurosawa
— Sunayana Suresh (@sunayanasuresh) October 25, 2016
Penne for your thoughts?#doppiomumbai #food #pasta #foodporn #foodgasm #nomnom #mumbai #restaurantsofmumbai #mumbaifoodie #foodpuns pic.twitter.com/iX6XcF9ac8
— Doppio Bar&Brasserie (@doppiomumbai) November 8, 2016
You can never be too stylish. #YouDoYou #FoodPuns pic.twitter.com/BFGei9K5xF
— Antonio Morejon (@MiamiGriller) October 25, 2016
Taylor Swiss has a BLANK SPACE!! 💁🏼🎤 #10YearsOfTaylorSwift #punny #foodpuns https://t.co/lFXDGLKSL5 #boston #funny pic.twitter.com/YVT3R9pbfs
— Pun Pantry (@punpantry) October 25, 2016
#FoodPuns pic.twitter.com/09ZnQHl2S8
— Wheezy Nurse© MSN RN (@WheezyNurse) October 21, 2016
Monday #Punday. Hahaha #foodpuns @Qbonbon @TheresaNicassio @greendiarist @UrbanFlipFlop @aliyahobrien @walelia @auntiemary4 @TorrieLindner pic.twitter.com/asqAKF0Qu4
— Mona Per (@Monaper29) October 17, 2016
Toro y Moi
Tempura-rily not in service@ZMangkung #foodpuns pic.twitter.com/I3ulazOiPS— TheGreatGemby (@GemOfThrones) October 13, 2016
https://twitter.com/FarmFreshOK/status/795670917531705344
Let people know how awesome your #startup is. #EmployerBranding is everything: https://t.co/RWhgc3Dyl2 #Punny #BigDill #FoodPuns pic.twitter.com/OXxQbpANAK
— TalentDash (@TalentDash) October 14, 2016
https://twitter.com/FairouzOttawa/status/786373363161784321
You’ve made it this far, which proves that a little humor can go a long way. Humor can help your food business stick a little bit better in its target market’s minds. Not a bad thing in an extremely competitive industry.
In a piece for HubSpot, Kim Speier says:
“I think the most remarkable thing about using humor in marketing is how companies with seemingly ordinary products can make you feel like theirs is the most exciting one out there. Oftentimes it’s a product we all need, one that really isn’t much different from brand to brand, and one that doesn’t have much price variation. Yet, we are fascinated by its commercials and social media presence.
When it comes to humor, it’s all about authenticity. The brands that make humor work are authentic; they know their persona and they run with it. The companies below sell arguably “boring” products, but using humor in their marketing has transformed the way consumers perceive them.”
There are drawbacks to using humor out of context. Food puns should generally be in good taste (no meta pun intended). They should be true to your brand. An excellent study by Marketing Science Institute says:
“… creating humor likely requires a deep understanding of the desires, identity position, and cultural belief structure of the target audience. Even then, some humor attempts are bound to fail. One way to help succeed in this endeavor is to employ rigorous market testing before launch.”
In any case, the risks of using humor are greatly outweighed by the benefits. Humor can strengthen not only customer recall, but the overall quality of the connection as well.
Ways you can use humor and food puns in the food industry:
- Names for menu items
- Business names – use with caution, and only as part of a bigger marketing strategy
- Regular Facebook and Twitter posts
- In blog posts
- Employee training manuals
- Newsletters
Do you have a food pun? Feel free to tweet them to us at @printplace , or simply comment below.
Arthur Piccio is a feature writer and subject matter expert for the PrintPlace Blog. In his spare time he studies guitar and writes about goats.