Mano runs a small cafe in Melbourne. He was left shocked after a legal letter from Grill’d turned up at his front door
Burger giant Grill’d has waged war on a small cafe, demanding it change its logo because it looked too similar to theirs.
Mano’s in Doncaster, in Melbourne’s north-east, received a legal letter from Grill’d in October saying the small cafe’s logo was deceptively similar.
Owner Mano told us 7News the letter came just after a Grill’d franchise opened opposite his cafe.
‘To be honest, we were shocked. “We didn’t believe this big company was coming after a small company and trying to claim we were infringing on their brand,” he said.
Grill’d believes their logo and branding are similar because Mano’s logo is a red circle with their name written diagonally in it, which is the same format as Grill’d’s logo.
Mano’s in Doncaster, in Melbourne’s northeast, received a legal letter from Grill’d in October saying the small cafe’s logo was similar to theirs
After a Grill’d franchise (not pictured) opened diagonally across from Mano’s, the owners of the small cafe received a letter from Grill’d demanding they change their logo and branding in the store and their website.
The letter from the burger chain demanded that Mano’s change their logo and all branding in their cafe and on their website.
“We’re just a small company and we definitely don’t have the money or the legal team like they do,” Mano said.
Knowing that legal costs could be high, Mano’s owners agreed to make their logo inverted: a white circle with red lettering.
Since Grill’d were the ones asking for the change, the owners asked the burger giant to pay for it.
However, the multi-million dollar company, which has an annual turnover of $298.8 million, has rejected the owners’ offer.
Owner Mano is asking Grill’d to help pay for the rebrand, which was rejected by the burger giant
Mano said he was hoping for “a little bit” of financial help for the rebranding.
Grill said the similar logo had led to confusing their customers.
The restaurant chain said they were Australian-owned and were not trying to “push out the ‘little guy’ at all,” it said.
“Grill’d has worked hard for 20 years to build its reputation and has the right to protect it from others who wish to abuse its brand.”
Daily Mail Australia contacted Mano’s and Grill’d for comment.