Jean-Paul and Monique Picot took the bistro's name from the avant garde comedy La Bonne Soupe by the French playwright Félicien Marceau, which had a long successful run in Paris in the 1950's. The three-act play, starring Jeanne Moreau and Marie Bell, ends with the words "Et hop! Par ici, la bonne soupe!" here meaning: "step up (to the roulette tables), and put your money down, which will give you winnings and ensure you the good life." The play was such a success, it was followed in 1963 by a Twentieth Century Fox Film bearing the same title and based on Félicien Marceau's original 1958 play. Among top-ranking stars in the film were Annie Girardot, Jean-Claude Brialy, Claude Dauphin and Franchot Tone.

The phrase la bonne soupe has come to mean the good life, with health, wealth and happiness.

The Picots thought this was a most appropriate name for their little bistro, and were delighted when they were browsing along Left Bank shops in Paris and came upon a vintage poster for the play. They bought it, framed it, and hung it on the wall next to the staircase at La Bonne Soupe. You can see it there to this day.