News / Restaurants
New restaurant forced to change name following legal threat
Just when Bristol was celebrating the good news of a much-anticipated restaurant’s arrival, the owners have announced a name change after being threatened with legal action from a London restaurant of a similar name.
When Mark and Karen Chapman announced their second restaurant – initially called LUCA – most of Bristol was buzzing with joy. An ode to their toddler son’s name, the restaurant was supposed to be a gesture of love towards him.
Soon after the team changed their social media handles and updates from LUCA to LUCA’S in what we now see as a hopeful attempt to avoid backlash from the restaurant’s namesake in London.
is needed now More than ever
However, the Chapmans since revealed that they have been forced to scrap that original name after the London restaurant with the same name threatened them with legal proceedings.
Their new restaurant in Wapping Wharf is now set to be called RAGÙ when it opens in April.
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They also mention attempts from the COR team’s side to resolve the matter amicably, but these requests were ignored by the London restaurant.
In a comment to Bristol24/7 about the name change, Mark and his team at COR said: “We would rather not say or target the restaurant in London.
“But we would like to mention that we were very disappointed to receive threatening legal proceedings from a London restaurant which has a similar name to the one we wanted to name after our son.
“‘Luca’ is a popular Italian name and as such variations of ‘Luca’ have been used as the name of Italian restaurants all over the world.
“In the UK alone, there is a ‘Luca’s Kitchen’, ‘Luca’s Bistro’, ‘Di Luca’, ‘Luca’s Pizza’, ‘Da Luca Restaurant’, ‘Luca Mio’, ‘De Luca’, ‘Luca Dsq’, a ‘Luca’s’, ‘Enoteca da Luca’ and ‘La Luna di Luca’, amongst others.
“There is even a restaurant ‘Luca’ in Liverpool, using an identical name.
“We are certain that the average customer would easily distinguish the two – let alone different cities of the UK – and so cannot see the reason why a London restaurant is concerned or why we in particular have been targeted.”
Mark and Karen’s first restaurant on North Street has become one of Bristol’s most loved eateries, with its small plates being an instant hit.
Their clean, modern take on Mediterranean cuisine has also been recognised with a Bib Gourmand for three consecutive years.
Main photo: COR
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