Relish

Having two restaurants in the same town with the same name is, in Relish's opinion, confusing and unnecessary, so when we first heard of Curt and Casey Friedrichs' new pizza joint called Taste, Wood Fired Fare, we were... confused, as was most everyone else. It didn't matter how the fare was fired, there was already a restaurant here named Taste.

Gerard Craft, owner of Niche, Brasserie by Niche, and the aforementioned Taste (now relocated to 4584 Laclede in the CWE), felt that the Taste brand, one he'd established and nurtured over the last two years, was being diluted, so Craft's attorneys sent the Friedrichs' a letter to cease and desist, claiming infringement of an established brand.

At last check a month ago, the pizza joint had just opened and it appeared the Friedrichs' had prevailed and would keep the name, as Craft's Taste had allegedly not been registered or protected. The Friedrichs' subsequently added an "SM" script to their logo, for "service mark," indicating an unregistered trademark that nonetheless claims rights to the mark.

All of which made the following news more puzzling.

Effective Monday morning, the Friedrichs' changed the name after all, to TwinOak, Wood Fired Fare, a moniker that quite frankly makes more sense; one, because oak wood fires their 900 degree pizza oven, and two, because the brothers are also twins. 

When asked the reason for the change, Bill Friedrichs (Curt and Casey's father) told Relish that "we all felt that it was in the best interest of the restaurant community to change the name." When asked if there was any legal pressure to do so, Friedrichs replied that "letters did go back and forth but before it got even more involved, we thought it best to just select a new name. Besides, we plan to be known for our pizzas, not our name."  

At this writing, Gerard Craft was unavailable for comment, but  is no doubt sitting a bit taller in the saddle this morning.  

Temporary signage is in now place on the building at 1201 Strassner in Brentwood, and as soon as a new logo is selected, new menus, uniforms, and permanent Twin Oak signage will appear as well.

Relish applauds the Friedrichs' for doing the right thing. May the move lead to a long and successful run of their brand.