OC 7$ Seafood Restaurant

In Orange County’s Little Saigon neighborhood, there are surprisingly big differences between the letters “OC” and “Ốc,” as well as “Ốc 7” and “Ốc 7$.” The same letters that abbreviate Orange County in uppercase mean “snail” when written with the accent mark in Vietnamese, so a seafood restaurant named “Ốc 7$” suggests that $7 snails – a French and Vietnamese delicacy – are going to be available.

For a couple of years, they were, and in 10 different preparations at the same low $7 price, along with $7 blood clams, mussels, and scallops. But at some point after inflation rocked the entire restaurant industry, that pricing disappeared, and Ốc 7$ became OC 7 Seafood Restaurant. The new pitch was that its seafood could be prepared with seven different sauces.