Multinational Mexican fast-food chain Taco Bell launched a campaign earlier this week to pursue the revocation of the trademark on the phrase “Taco Tuesday”. Trademarked since 1989, the phrase is legally owned by two entities. The primary owner is the Wyoming-based Taco John’s chain. Additionally, there is Gregory’s Bar & Restaurant, a family-owned eatery in Somers Point, New Jersey.
In their efforts to force a move on the part of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, Taco Bell has enlisted NBA superstar LeBron James as part of their efforts. LeBron “never misses a Taco Tuesday and can often be seen celebrating the weekly tradition with his family,” a spokesperson for Taco Bell told HotNewHipHop. Furthermore, Taco Bell’s campaign involves a new ad featuring LeBron as well as a change.org petition.
Gregory’s Hits Back
However, one of the trademark holders is now hitting back against the latest efforts of Taco Bell. Gregory’s Bar & Restaurant has been a staple of Somers Point, New Jersey since 1946. It is currently owned by Gregory Gregory, the fourth generation of Gregorys to own the restaurant. “It truly is a David vs. Goliath scenario,” Gregory told NJ.com. Furthermore, Gregory wasn’t amused by the efforts of Taco Bell. “It seems unfair to me Taco Bell can have a trademark for the sound of the bell on their commercials, but they don’t want us to keep our trademark for ‘Taco Tuesday,’” Gregory said. “Everyone rings a bell.”
Furthermore, Gregory recalls that this isn’t LeBron’s first tangle with the trademark. The NBA veteran reportedly pursued it in 2019. “We reached out to his people back then,” Gregory said. “We would have been happy to sell it to him. But we never heard back.” However, Gregory admitted to the scale of the fight. “We are weighing our options to whatever steps we are going to take,” said Gregory. He is eager for Taco John’s will lead the fight since they are the bigger entity. Taco John’s controls the “Taco Tuesday” trademark in every state except New Jersey. “For us, does it make sense to spend a ton of money fighting this over a basket of $2.50 tacos?”
[via]