Inn Cogneato Bistro

When David Hossini was first starting up his bistro bakery in 1991, he was stuck on what to call it. He’d narrowed it down to three different names – Basil, Caspian, and Incognito – but was stuck on how to make the final choice. After spending some time mulling it over, David finally settled on the third choice and inquired if the name was legally available in Vancouver. “I asked the lady in the [commerce department],” he explains. “I said, ‘I want this name as Incognito.’” She delivered a bit of bad news and said that particular name was already taken, saying, “I cannot give you the same name for a coffee shop.”

Not discouraged, David was struck by a clever idea. “I told her, ‘How about we call it…Inn Cogneato?’” She liked his idea, found that the name was free, and Inn Cogneato Bistro Bakery began its journey as a soon-to-be thriving business. However, David has discovered a bit of a humorous side effect of such a neat play-on-words name. “Believe it or not, I get many phone calls during springtime and Christmastime from people overseas saying, ‘I am coming to Vancouver and I want to stay in your place, how much per night?’” David laughs.