The economic downturn has prompted Filipino entrepreneurs to put up businesses
and products with hilarious names in a bid to grab customers. And what catchy names they have come up with.
There's Cooking Ng Ina Mo, a carinderia specializing in home cooked meals on Boni Avenue in Manduluyong City. Just a stone's throw from it is a competitor called Cooking
Ng Ina Mo Rin.
From the names, one could easily get an idea about the specialties of the eateries. Take for instance Caintacky Fried Chicken. Where else, but in Cainta, Rizal.
What about Blue Marilyn? It's a sing-along, ihaw-ihaw restaurant on Sucat Avenue in Parañaque. And Crispy Per Minute is another giveaway. It offers crispy pata while Cleopata's is a bakahan and manukan.
The owner of Babalik Karinderia in Sto. Tomas, Batangas, seems to be confident that his customers will return.
Urban living has created a demand for laundry service especially among those who don't have maids. If they live in Pasig
City they can go to Cinna Von, a laundrymat.
In Legaspi Village in Makati, the woman who takes orders for Launderland
is reportedly named Alice.
In San Juan, there's a janitorial service company called City
Cleaners whose slogan is: ''Talk dirty to me.''
For those who enjoy beer, they can try Bali Gulp,
which is just beside Valley Golf on Sumulong highway in Antipolo.
Those who work near Buendia and Taft Avenues could go to Beery
Good.
A businessman or executive who wants to have a few drinks and feel not
being hounded by his wife may have a good
reason to tell her that he is in The Conference
Room, a nightclub formerly near P. Burgos in Makati. Newsmen, however, prefer the The Other Office, a bar in Ermita, Manila, or maybe O'Beer Time.
Here are the others:
The list includes the following:
Goldilooks, a salon in Katipunan, Hair Force One, another salon, Wool Street, formal wear tailoring store for men; Fagoofyt, a children's hair salon on J. Elizalde Avenue in BF Parañaque); Felix the Cut,
Going Straight (a hair straightening salon in Megamall), 911(along
Ortigas), D'Scalp (a barbershop on Evangelista
Street in Makati), Curl Up And Dye (beauty
salon) and Cutis (hair and skin clinic on
South Superhighway);
Beefer 150 (meat shop), Common
Cents Store (sari-sari store), Happy Birthday
Toyo (a soy sauce brand in the 70's), Holland
Hopia (owned by Mr. Ho; next door is Poland Hopia, owned by Mr.
Po in Chinatown Manila), Bee Tin (Hopia Factory)
and The Fried of Marikina ( fried chicken
shop);
Ali Baka (A shawarma shop), Ace-Deo
Optical (Tanay, Rizal), Alabank (rural
bank of Alabang), Beads and Pieces (bead shop),
Berde Plants (plant shop in Glorietta), Doctor
Sebago (Shoe Repair Shop, Pasay), Dear Hunter
(mail order brides); The Enchanted Florist, Elizabeth
Tailoring, Leon King Video Rental (Las Piñas) and Fernando
Pe's Box Office Hits (video rental shop in Busuanga, Palawan). Faithfully
Yours (detective agency in Kamagong, Makati), Farmacia
With Love (drugstore ), Funeraria Mabuhay,
Goldirocks (gravel and sand shop), Goto Heaven,
Ho Kee Yah (pronounced ''OK Ah!'' with a Chinese accent; Chinese
restaurant on Session Road in Baguio).
H. U. Kayin (deep-well drilling services),
Income Taxi, INK-credible! (a tattoo shop
in Bicutan), Inno Scents (car freshener found
in a Caltex Starmart), James Tailoring, Jane's Pondahan
and Jean Tonic (denim shop, Shoppesville in Greenhills). Juice
Co. (fruit juice stand), Labo Optical, Lalafca
(novelty store), Let's Goat-Together (kambingan
cum beer garden), Mahal Kita Honey (bottled
honey from Batangas), Maid To Order (maid
placement agency), Mane Attraction (beauty
parlor) and Mang Donald's (burger joint, Naga
City plaza that serves quarter pounders and the Big Mang! . . .Mak-Mak
and a side order of Prince Fries) McBo (near
gate 1 of Ateneo).
Mat & Jeep (jeep accessories shop),
Meatropolis (meat shop), Meating
Place (meat shop), Megamelt (ensaymada),
Memory Drug (a Mercury Drug clone), Mercy
Drug (another Mercury Drug clone in Olongapo), Miki
Mao (noodle eatery), Motel Monaco and Nacho
Fast (nachos to go). Mercy Buko (fresh
coconut roadside shop), Pa-Kap-Log (budget
breakfast package: pandesal, kape at itlog), Passers
Buy (convenience store), Perfect-Lee
(sari-sari store in Alabang), Perm Foundation
(a Christian beauty salon) and Petal Attraction
(flower shop).
Pig Out (restaurant/take-out in San Antonio
Village, Makati specializing in pork dishes), Pizza
Hot (Pizza Place), Saudia Hairlines (beauty
salon), Scissors Palace (barber shop), Second
Time Around (second hand watch store), Side-saki
(side street eatery beside Mandarin Hotel), Sophisticut
(unisex hair salon), Star Wash (launderette)
and Susan's Roses (flower shop). Su-To-Kil
(a seaside wet market/eatery near Mactan shrine, called ''Su-to-kil,''
which is great feast for ''sugba-tola-kilaw.'') Suzy's
Key Duplication, Sylvestre's Salon, TapSi TurBi (tapa, sinangag,
turon at bibingka) and 10/Q (convenience store
chain).
The Way We Wear (boutique), Tio
Paeng Longganisa Stand (Pampanga), To Home
It May Concern (furniture shop in Caloocan), Tree's
Company (artificial plant store, Pasay Road), Triple
Bee (restaurant) and Tutti Fruit-asan
(fruit stall); Wash & Carry (laundromat
on Dian Street, Makati near Cash & Carry), Washing
Well (laundromat), Windows & Doors '98
(sash factory), Wheels Fargo (eatery),
yehey.com (Yahoo clone), Your
Best Vet (veterinary clinic), What's Disc?
(novelty CD kiosk, Megamall) and Wrap and Roll
(lumpia outlet, Quad, Makati).
A menu in a seafood restaurant has these entrees: Isda best, Pusit to the limit and Hipon coming back.
Painted at the rear end of a garbage truck: "I am your friend, put your trash in me."
From The Philippine Daily Inquirer.