Updated, March 14: The name of the new café has been announced, and the winner is Quill & Crumb!
Updated, February 21: In early February we asked you all for ideas for naming our new café, which will open in the Great Hall when the Folger reopens on June 21. It’s a space that will offer grab-and-go breakfast options, coffee, tea, soups and sandwiches, snacks to eat in the garden, and drinks and light dinner fare in the evenings.
You responded with 1,750 witty and deeply knowledgeable ideas. Suggested many times by many people, but ultimately ruled out, were names like “Cakes and Ale,” “Falstaff,” and “Taming of the Brew.” Making us laugh were “Mugbeth,” “The Thirst Folio,” and “As You Lick It.” However, we wondered how people would feel texting friends to meet at dining establishments thusly named. Names like “Seven Snacks of Man” offered clever wordplay and a deep knowledge of the Folger building, but we worried they did not fully lend themselves to creating a welcoming dining atmosphere. Finally, though we felt it a few too many words for a café name, we need to tip our hat to “Matcha, Brew, An Oat Muffin.” Well played!
So, “To Tea or Not to Tea” (also suggested) is not the question. Our finalists included a memorable character from a beloved play, a food popular in Shakespeare’s time that he was known to favor, a key historic figure, a reference to literature and plays, and a name we thought was just on point.
- Peaseblossom
- Gooseberry
- Hathaway’s
- Prologue
- Quill & Crumb