South Carolina Restaurant Forced To Change Its Name: Too Similar To Dana Point Eatery

Here's some odd news that came to my attention. A restaurant named Salt Creek Cafe in a town called Murrells Inlet, South Carolina recently had to change its name recently. And yes, it's exactly for the reasons you might have already guessed (it has to do with Dana Point's Salt Creek Grille).

Here's the story by Becky Billingsley of the Mrytle Beach Restaurant News:

“Salt Creek Cafe is becoming Salt Water Creek Cafe.

Wendy Wolff of Salt Creek Café says she and her husband, Keith Wolff, were notified in a letter from an attorney representing a restaurant group called Salt Creek Grille that they have a trademark on the words Salt Creek when used in conjunction with a restaurant name. Salt Creek Grille has five locations in New Jersey and California, and the first location opened in 1996 in Dana Point, Calif.

Wendy said on Wednesday that she and her husband checked the South Carolina business name database when choosing a name for their restaurant at 4660 U.S. 17 Bypass, but they did not check the national database. They are considering this a lesson learned.”