In a town full of soldiers, on the edge of Fort Bragg, there could be worse names for a restaurant these days than Osama's Place, but it is hard to think of any.

That, however, is the name of a homey little cafe here. An American flag now hangs near the front door, and only a few regular customers have stopped coming in.

Others say they feel sorry for the unfortunate owner and wish him well when they order their burgers or pita sandwiches.

The name Osama has long been an honorable one in the Arab world. It means "big cat," and the walls of Osama's Place are decorated with framed pictures of lions and tigers. But the fact that this is the given name of a most reviled terrorist has given it a tinge that sends shudders down some spines.

Osama's Place was opened in 1997 by Osama Yousef, a Jordanian who settled in North Carolina more than a decade ago.

It is a pleasant spot, with a handful of tables and, behind a Formica counter, a short-order grill. Roof fans turn languidly in the autumn warmth.

In 1999 Mr. Yousef sold the restaurant to another Jordanian, Ghassan Mustafa, who chose not to change its name.

"This was already a popular place, and people around here knew it by a certain name," Mr. Mustafa said on a recent evening. "Now I'm having bad luck."

Since declarations by American leaders that this month's terrorist attacks were probably planned by Osama bin Laden, some customers have urged Mr. Mustafa to change his restaurant's name. He seems uncertain how to respond.

"I'm not going to do it," he said defiantly at one point. "When Timothy McVeigh did that terrorism in Oklahoma, nobody who owned a place called Timothy's changed the name. So why should I?"

Later, however, one of Mr. Mustafa's waitresses, Tina Jeter, said several people she knows had urged her to quit.

She has heard others curse the restaurant's owner and suggest that he might have been connected to the attacks. A few, Ms. Jeter said, have even told her they would like to bomb Osama's Place.

Mr. Mustafa, a Muslim, looked surprised and hurt. "You never told me that," he said.

"I didn't want to get you upset or hurt your feelings," Ms. Jeter replied.

That sent Mr. Mustafa, who is 27, into silent reflection.

"Maybe I should think about changing the name," he said after a few moments. "People are very frustrated these days.

"I love this country as much as I love my own country. I work 12 hours a day, six days a week. People here all know me.

"But what if someone who isn't from here drives by and gets some crazy idea?"

Business at Osama's Place is steady for most of the day and evening. No one seems uncomfortable ordering house specialties like Osama's Steak Sub or Osama's Chicken Calzone.

"Muslims come in all shapes and colors," one woman said as she picked up a takeout order. "If anything happens while I'm in here, I hope I'd have the courage to stand up against it."

Many families in Spring Lake have at least one member who is posted at Fort Bragg. Dozens of them have been and still are regulars at Osama's Place.

"A lot of people might not want to come in here, but not necessarily people from the base," Sgt. Rick Young said as he waited for his pizza. "They're often more educated than you might think."

Mr. Mustafa's cousin Mohammed Mahmoud helps behind the counter. He said he shared the anger that most Americans were now feeling.

"I don't think anything is going to happen to us," Mr. Mahmoud said, sounding less than certain. "American people are very smart, and they wouldn't do anything against us.

"But maybe a few of them are not smart. I don't know. What do you think?"