The perfect name for a cheerful neighborhood restaurant specializing in macaroni and cheese: Little Mac.
Or so co-owners Erin Wade and Allison Arevalo thought when they discovered their shared love of the comfort food favorite and began dreaming of leaving their corporate jobs to open an Oakland restaurant.
McDonald’s and its Big Mac begged to differ.
When the corporate giant threatened the fledgling team with a lawsuit, Wade, a former attorney, and Arevalo, a former marketing executive, settled on another name: Homeroom. But they didn’t stop there; they turned the name into the focus for the restaurant’s theme and creative design.