Who can resist a pun? True, a playfully-named shop may not always evoke sophistication but it sure can grab your attention and, as any independent business will vouch, there is no harm in that.
If you plan to find any of these shops in Birmingham and its outskirts, you'll need a sharp eye. They're scarce in the city centre, where national brands abound. But, look around town and you'll find them, manned by entrepreneurial types from Sutton to King's Heath, Halesowen and beyond...
Robin Valk
A killer name – literally. You can find a Curl Up and Dye everywhere from Sheffield to San Jose but you'll spot these particular pun-loving hairdressers on the south side of town, in between Lifford and Kings Heath.
Robin Valk
King Heath foodies looking for a taste of the Caribbean visit the Soupera Taste takeaway for, you guessed it, a selection of soups, along with stews, curries and fish dishes. Better still, they can choose to wash them down with some intriguingly-named 'Sexy Juice'.
Robin Valk
There is no need for infinite sadness when you have a greengrocers with such a pun-derful name as this. Located in Great Barr on Beacon Road, Melon Cauli even gained national attention after being singled out on the BBC's 'Graham Norton Show'.
Robin Valk
Sutton residents who need caffeine and puns to go head here. We would have also accepted 'Espresso Yourself' or 'A Latte Fun'. Nevertheless, you'll find some good reviews for Under Pressure Espresso.
Top of the foodie pile has to be pop-up heroes Pietanic, darlings of Digbeth Dining Club and street food festivals all over town. We don't know whether it was a brilliant coincidence or a marketing ploy, but it is worth heading over to their Facebook page to see the pictures of the Pietanic van, broken down on its maiden voyage...
Robin Valk
It might be one of the more subtle puns in this collection, but The Back Room in Moseley can help you get rid all your aches and pains. Pun-induced or not.
Peter's Pan
When it comes to plays on words, the chippie is arguably even more prone to puns than hairdressers. Still, taking a welcome break from the scores of 'Codfathers' is Peter's Pan, in Barnt Green. Has the name been given in honour of the chip shop's founder? Owners Terri and Jimmy would probably say, er, no.
Robin Valk
Home of the huge breakfast and many hungry students trying to make their loan stretch to as much grub as possible is the Selly Sausage in, you guessed it, Selly Oak.
Located in Halesowen is Tandoori restaurant Balti Towers. Not just somewhere to dine on Indian dishes, Balti Towers also sells its own range of cooking sauces in many stores across the West Midlands. We cannot confirm whether they feature plenty of basil. Balti Towers also reached maximum pun status after creating a healthier curry dish for its customers that a local paper referred to as a 'Thindaloo'.
Finally, posthumous recognition goes to this Chinese eatery in Shirley. It may have been over in Solihull, but we can still mourn the passing of the creatively-named Shirley Temple Restaurant, now sadly gone from the Stratford Road.
Are there any that we've missed? Let us know. In the meantime, if all the puns have made you hungry, take a look at some of Birmingham's best cheap eats.