Nana Will Be Replaced With A Steakhouse Called S?r

Go ahead and mark this one down as the day we wholeheartedly agreed with Nancy Nichols.

Should a press release announcing the name of the Hilton Anatole's new steakhouse—you know the one replacing Nana, which closes its doors June 9—require a note on pronunciation? No. No, it really shouldn't. But because the name is S?r...

Yes, that's S?r (pronounced “sear”) and it's set to open October 1, 2012 with Anthony Van Camp heading the kitchen. Now, it's clear the "sear" reference is to the steakhouse aspect, but is spelling a name a letter short really going to tell diners that this place is unlike any other steakhouse in the city (as hotel GM Harold Rapoza boasts in the release)? Is that all it takes? If it is, then here's a tip: DöDö the next pizza hotspot and frI (or FReye) the next new upscale fried chicken joint. They're also all seriously pretentious.

As Nichols says:

Names should be easy to read and say. A customer should be able to glance at the name, style of font, and get an idea of what they are to expect.

Contemporary marketing people: We are stupid. Asador may be a great restaurant, but it doesn’t sound like one. We like our names simple. Even CampO Modern Bistro can be shortened to as CampO’s. Nobody has to pronounce that silly big O.

Quite right, Nichols. Add to that: Nobody who hasn't seen the press release (or read related rants—perhaps we do provide a variety of services) will get to "sear" without stuttering through "sir" and "sur" first. Teresa Gubbins puts it plainly: "Seems like they could've just called it 'Sear'?"

Speaking of which, we can't wait to see what Anthony Bombaci does next, because it surely can't be anything related to S?ring a stäk.

· Oh No! Say It Isn’t So! Nana Will Turn Into A Contemporary Steakhouse Called S?r [SideDish]
· Steakhouse replacing Nana at Hilton Anatole in Dallas will be called Ser [Pegasus News]

Nana. [Photo: Nana/Official]