Which restaurant names use an apostrophe?
This quiz will test your attention to detail. You could also use this as a fact-checking exercise.
If you want to take on the fact-checking challenge, visit these restaurant’s websites to determine whether their name uses a registered trademark symbol (®) or a trademark symbol (™).*
A full list of the restaurant names will appear after you have completed the quiz. Correct answers will be indicated with a green check mark, while incorrect answers will be indicated with a red X.
Notes about registered trademarks
A trademark symbol means that a name has been filed for registration. Once the process is complete, the ™ symbol is replaced with an ® symbol.
Note that just because the logo on the website appears with a registered trademark symbol, that doesn’t mean that the name itself has been trademarked.
Names and logo designs are filed for registration separately and thus a name may not be trademarked at the same time as the logo design. As a result, on occasion you will encounter a logo that uses an ® symbol, while the company name is still using a ™ symbol, prior to its registration process being finalized.
Fact-checking is one of the services I offer in my proofreading business. If you decide to take on the fact-checking challenge you will see how time-consuming it can be, and why my clients choose to outsource their proofreading to me. But in the meantime, have some fun with this quiz!
Test yourself with the restaurant apostrophe quiz
Fact-checking
How did you do?
Did you try the fact-checking exercise?
Do you find yourself noticing street or window signs that use the apostrophe incorrectly?
Image Credit: Davina Haisell
*Additional fact-checking resources are the Canadian Intellectual Property Office and the United States Patent and Trademark Office. These resources are recommended as websites are not always the most up-to-date reference.
{ 7 comments }
Hi Davina .. I got 11 – I thought I’d done better … but not knowing the names and to what they referred made life slightly more difficult – I’d have said in normal life – I’d get apostrophe’s right at least 90% of the time .. probably higher than that .. I got TGI Friday’s wrong .. and McDonalds … but I don’t use them either …
Such is life!! Cheers – interesting to take the quiz … Hilary
Hello Davina, I got 13 on 20. The names were mostly American and hence I had no clue about some of them. I guess I am fairly good when it comes to apostrophes but this one was a bit tough for me because of the cultural context.
Hope you’re doing well.
Joy always,
Susan
Hi Hilary.
You’re right. Not being familiar with these restaurants makes this difficult. I was familiar with McDonald’s and Tim Hortons, but for some reason I always want to reverse the apostrophe use. It is fun to do quizzes though :) Thanks for taking the time to do this one.
Hi Susan.
That’s a pretty good score, considering you’re not familiar with these. When I did the quiz I hadn’t heard of many either and your score was higher than when I first did this. I got 12.
I am doing well, thanks. It’s nice to see you here! I hope you’re well too.
I got 13 out of 20 with no fact checking but I was relieved to get Applebee’s right because two of my recent posts referenced them. I did check but then I was wondering if I checked right. And I didn’t know a batch of the restaurants either…
Did not know a number of these restaurants and when I see the arches of some I just look the other way! I got 12 and I did not fact check…Just like to do this stuff for fun.
Folks are always saying they can not find my blog and then I ask if they put in an apostrophy? there is no ‘ in the title but there is ownership!
Thanks for sharing this one
Ah, Tim Hortons, the Dunkin’ Donuts of Canada — I spent some time there in my recent visit to Toronto. Or, to be more culturally tactful, perhaps I should refer to Dunkin’ Donuts as the Tim Hortons of the U.S. Admittedly, I did not fact check whether an apostrophe appears in Dunkin’ Donuts, so this comment may prove to be a total loss. But I’m sure your fact-checking services are wonderful.
That’s a good score, Julie, considering you didn’t know many of the restaurants. I love when people are as diligent as you in making sure things are correct!
It is fun, Patricia. I enjoy it too. Yes, that’s one thing about blogging titles; punctuation such as the apostrophe doesn’t show up in the link. There is definitely ownership in Patricia’s Wisdom :-)
Lol, Chris. You’re so diplomatic. That is correct that Dunkin’ Donuts uses an apostrophe.
Tim Hortons is my favourite place for coffee now but unfortunately the nearest one is visited only after taking a ferry and two buses. So, I particularly enjoy their coffee whenever I go into the city.