Chew on this.<\/p>\n
The owners of a Michelin-starred Chicago restaurant are accusing a Big Apple tavern of stealing their name and reputation \u2014 deliberately cashing in on their culinary fame, according to a new federal lawsuit.<\/p>\n
JK Shields, LLC, which owns ritzy Windy City restaurant Smyth, claims that Smyth Tavern in Tribeca is leaving diners confused and knowingly coasting on their well-earned accolades, the suit filed last month in Illinois federal court alleges.<\/p>\n
John McDonald, owner of Smyth Tavern in Tribeca, is being sued by a Chicago restaurant over the eatery\u2019s name. Matthew McDermott<\/p>\n
\u201cDefendants\u2019 use of an identical and confusingly similar imitation of the SMYTH Marks is likely to cause confusion, deception, and mistake by creating the false and misleading impression that defendants\u2019 services originate from or provided by plaintiff,\u201d the complaint said, \u201cor are associated or connected with plaintiff, or have the sponsorship, endorsement, or approval of plaintiff.\u201d<\/p>\n
Husband and wife duo John Shields and Karen Urie Shields opened Smyth in 2016, and went on to earn three coveted Michelin Stars \u2014 a designation reserved for some of the world\u2019s finest restaurants.<\/p>\n
The top Windy City eatery is one of just 13 three-star-restaurants in the United States.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the lawsuit, JK Shields claims that the accolades were what John McDonald and partners Mercer Street Hospitality had in mind when they named their neighborhood haunt Smyth Tavern in 2022.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Smyth restaurant in Chicago, opened in 2016, has earned three coveted Michelin Stars, the mark of fine eating.<\/p>\n
Chef John Shields and his wife, Karen Urie Shields, claim New York\u2019s Smyth Tavern stole the name of their restaurant. Instagram\/Smyth Chicago<\/p>\n
\u201cUpon information and belief, defendant John McDonald intentionally adopted, or directed the corporate Defendants to intentionally adopt, the term \u2018SMYTH\u2019 in order to benefit from and ride off the goodwill of the well-known SMYTH Marks and restaurant,\u201d the lawsuit claims.<\/p>\n
JK Shields claims that the website for another Mercer Street restaurant, Chicago-based Lure Fishbar, advertises on the same site as Smyth Tavern, adding to the confusion for its upscale patrons.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor example, customers who have come to dine at plaintiff\u2019s Smyth restaurant have asked plaintiff if it is associated or affiliated with the \u2018Smyth Tavern\u2019 referenced on the website of the Chicago location of Lure Fishbar,\u201d Smyth\u2019s owners said in the suit.<\/p>\n
Smyth Tavern in Tribeca opened in 2022 and is named after the Smyth Hotel, where it is located, the owners said Matthew McDermott<\/p>\n
JK Shields claims Smyth Tavern\u2019s continued use of the name is likely \u201cto tarnish the distinctive character\u201d of the restaurant and \u201cdilute the distinctive quality\u201d of its name. <\/p>\n
They\u2019re asking for an undetermined amount of money in restitution for the alleged rip-off.<\/p>\n