Updated March 11th at 3:30pm: Following tips from readers, we have added eight recent lawsuits between Mi Dia from Scratch and Mi Dia Cafe to the list below. The lawsuit had not previously been reported.
The legal battle between Dallas restaurants of the same name reached a new climax on February 26th. Any recent conflicts? ChopShop is suing ChopShop.
Why does this keep happening? By my count, this chop drama is the seventh lawsuit over Dallas restaurant names in the last four years. We've come a long way since June 2022, when a prominent Dallas trademark infringement attorney told me that cases like this are “incredibly rare.”
Let's stop for a moment and look at the larger context. Here's a look at every Dallas restaurant naming controversy that's happened so far this decade, who has the best claim to the name, and what happened to the situations that were resolved. Complete guide.
By the way, if you're thinking of opening a restaurant, may I suggest Merriam-Webster's list of unusual and rarely used words?Oberas restaurants will rule.
lawsuit
Fletchers vs. Fletcher
Fletchers Original State Fair Corny Dogs have been a part of many Texans' State Fair plans for decades. But when a lone family member, Jace Fletcher Christensen, started a private corn dog business called “Fletch's,” Fairstand distanced itself from her efforts and filed a lawsuit. Of course, Christensen's defense was that she was also named Fletcher and was also a descendant of her original founder.
Who is a good person? The original Fletchers got off to an early start by nearly 80 years.
Who won? After a judge granted Christensen a preliminary injunction prohibiting her from using the name “Fletch,” she changed her business to “Corn Dogs Without a Name.” While brick-and-mortar restaurants are closed, pop-ups occasionally appear at big events, most recently at the Houston Rodeo.
Bisou Bisou vs. Bisou
When beloved Dallas bakery Bisous Bisous was dive-bombed with one-star reviews, it was a sign that a newcomer just down the street was causing chaos. Bisou is Houston's “atmospheric dining” club Stellanto, with the belief that the night-time dining and drinking scene is sufficiently different from its neighborhood's morning pastries to avoid confusion. Ta. However, confusion arose.
Who is a good person? Dallas's, of course.
Who won? Bizzus bizus. Big time. The newcomer changed its name to “Kiss,” and that change includes the original Houston location.
Provided by: Original ChopShop
Carbones vs. Carbones
This was the most famous of our namesake scandals. Locally popular Carbone's filed a lawsuit after the New York chain opened a store a few miles down Oak Lawn Avenue. Dallas Carbone's was named after founder Julian his Barsotti grandfather. New York Carbon is named after Chef Mario his carbon.
Who is a good person? Carbone's (Dallas) opened a year before Carbone's original store in New York.
Who won? It depends on your point of view. The Dallas store changed its name to Barsotti's, but news reports say a legal settlement (the contents of which remain confidential) will cover the cost of the New York chain renovating Barsotti's dining room and acquiring new signage. It was strongly suggested that this would include providing assistance. It wouldn't hurt so much if I got paid.
Hudson House vs. Hudson House
Vandelay Hospitality Group, the Dallas-based company behind East Hampton Sandwich Company, Drake's Hollywood, Hudson House, and several other restaurants, has decided to open Hudson House in Los Angeles. He has one problem. There was already another Hudson House restaurant 32 miles away. A much older and more established California company filed suit.
Who is a good person? This time, a Dallas company became the aggressor, needlessly stepping on the toes of other companies.
Who won? The lawsuit has been resolved and both California restaurants will continue to operate as Hudson House.
Hutchins Barbecue vs. Hutchins Barbecue
This story is the most amazing of the entire list. Her two members of the famous Hutchins BBQ family decided to open their own shop without the permission of the family that owned the original shop. They copied everything, according to court filings. They even copied the spelling of the name “Hutchins Barbeque.” They copied the sides of the logo. They were captured on surveillance cameras at the original Hutchins, videotaping the operation and layout. They ordered the new restaurant's sign from the same company that manufactured the original His Hutchins BBQ sign. And the sign company believed it was the original company that placed the order.
In an interview at dallas morning news, Roy and Wesley Hutchins, members of the rogue family, offered three defenses for their actions: Their name is still Hutchins, Roy is being used in a business that he no longer owns. had developed many of their recipes, and they were planning to publish versions that were far removed from the originals. Still, the solution may be to name their establishments “Roy Hutchins” or “Wesley Hutchins,” like his two sides of the Black family who operate Original Black's Barbecue and Terry Black's Barbecue. It was obvious.
Who is a good person? I'll say this: The lawsuit records Wesley Hutchins texting the owner of a McKinney-Frisco business that he was opening his version. because He was removed from the family business. Quote: “Look, what else was I supposed to do!!!” Everyone, cut my money and cut my insurance!!”
Who won? The lawsuit was settled in May 2023, four months after it was filed. The family ultimately took the obvious advice and opened the new spot, renaming it Original Roy Hutchins Barbecue. It's longer, yes. Obviously not, again. The Original Roy Hutchins opened in June with positive reviews online, and it's a 54-mile drive from Roy's location to His Hutchins in Frisco.
Brian Reinhart
Pizza Leila vs. Leela's Pizza and Wine
“Wait,” you might say, “I thought it was called Leela's Wine Bar.” Yes, certainly. But for a time, Leela's Uptown location went by the name Leela's Pizza and Wine. Unfortunately, that hot moment coincided with the opening of Pizza Leila's brick-and-mortar location a few blocks away. Pizza Leila was a pop-up and Leela's was a wine bar, but while there had previously been no confusion between the two businesses, Leela's name change meant lawyers were being paid.
Who is a good person? This town is big enough for both. I always thought of Leila as “pizza man” and Leela as “pizzeria.” futurama One. “
Who won? Leela's Wine Bar has changed its name back. The lawsuit was quickly resolved, filed in September 2023, and settled three months later. This is the first time this controversy has been publicly reported.
Mi Dia From Scratch vs. Mi Dia Cafe
Mi Dia From Scratch has been a popular Mexican and Tex-Mex spot in Grapevine since receiving federal trademark registration for the use of “Mi Dia” in the restaurant industry in 2011. Unfortunately, that didn't catch the eye of the owner of his newer Mi Dia Cafe in Irving. First Spot took the matter to court when the newcomers ignored cease-and-desist letters and customers began calling the wrong restaurants and leaving reviews on the wrong online listings.
Who is a good person? Mi Dia From Scratch had more than a decade's advantage over new entrants.
Who won? Mi Dia Cafe has been rebranded as Cafe y Tequila, including new signage and a new Facebook page. However, the name change is not registered on some distribution apps and other online sources, so the lawsuit is ongoing.
Original ChopShop vs. ChopShop Live
The latest lawsuit regarding this bizarre legal filing was filed on February 26th in federal court for the Eastern District of Texas. Original Chop Shop is a healthy fast-casual chain founded in Arizona in 2013 and has opened 11 stores in Texas since 2018. The chain is upset with Chop Shop Live, a chain of sports bars and music venues, according to health food store regulations. It began opening around North Texas in 2021.
There's just one problem with this argument. Based in Texas, ChopShop traces its roots back to his now-closed bar. Yelp reviews date back to October 2014. Original ChopShop, a health food chain, has filed for a federal trademark for the trademark “ChopShop.” ” One month after operations began in Texas.
Joshua Babb, a local and sporty partner at ChopShop Live, told me: They don't seem like us. right? ” He also announced the 2018 morning news Article about the phrase “Top Dallas Names.” Incidentally, ChopShop Live gets its name from its automotive theme, while Original ChopShop takes its name from the fact that salad ingredients are chopped with a knife. (Lino's Chop Shop Saloon in Deep Ellum has not been sued, as far as I know.)
Who is a good person? I'll support the home team. Even if the Kale People had a trademark, the idea that a burger-fueled sports bar could be confused with a place that serves “superfruit bowls” or “kale cleanses” is a little dubious. is.
Who won? This started a week ago.
Not a lawsuit, just a mess
Shouyo, Shoudo, Kaiyou, Kaiyo
Well, we left the lawsuit behind. Although there is no legal action between Japanese restaurants Shoyo and Shodo, it is worth clarifying which is which here. Shoyo is an omakase-style tasting counter in Greenville and one of Dallas' best restaurants. It opened in 2021. Shoyo was supposed to open years earlier – I found mentions dating back to 2017 – but after a long delay, a Christmas restaurant is finally opening in the design district, an eight-kilometre drive from Shoyo. He finally appeared around this time. This is by the restaurant group responsible for Pac Pao and El Bolero.
Interestingly, the new spot Shoyo chef Jimmy Park has opened in Greenville is called Kaiyo. This is also the name of an unrelated sushi restaurant in Mansfield. But the two Caillots are more than 30 miles apart by car, and no disruption has occurred yet. The word “kaiyo” means “sea”, so it is often used in sushi restaurants.
Seasoned street food is seasoned without sweetness
The two businesses are completely unrelated. Instead, viral food influencer Keith Lee reviews “Sweetly Seasoned” (a food truck), and his fans review-bomb and harass the completely different “Seasoned Street Food” (a catering business). They were united.
The word “seasoned” doesn't have much in common, especially between two spots with very different business models. Despite this, his website for Seasoned Street Food still displays a pop-up notice that says Sweetly Seasoned is “not affiliated with us” and provides contact information for other companies.
What about La Casita Bakeshop and Casita Tex-Mex?
This fuss doesn't exist yet, but we hope we can prevent it from happening again. How will La Casita Bakeshop adapt its new location inside his Half Price Books flagship store to the fact that Casita Tex-Mex Bar and Grill is literally across the street?
Rumor has it that the bookstore spot will be called “La Casita Coffee,” and by nightfall it will transform into a bar called “La Tiki Paisa.” Maybe I shouldn't stick my nose into other people's business, but the name of that coffee shop seems dangerous. What about Komeri broth?
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Brian Reinhart
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Brian Reinhart became D Magazine's dining critic in 2022 after six years writing about restaurants for the magazine. dallas observer And that Dallas Morning News.
