After hearing from the lawyers of a “certain unnamed chicken brand,” South Philly Cheesesteaks & Fries said it has renamed its “Chick Philly” sandwich the “Cease and Desist.”
South Philly launched its Chick Philly sandwich in April of this year, but on July 14, attorneys for the competitor sent a letter asking that South Philly refrain from using “well-known intellectual property” to promote the sandwich.
The sandwich chain — a subsidiary of the Morristown, N.J.-based Villa Restaurant Group — has 15 locations stretching from the Northeast to the Southwest.
A marketing representative for South Philly would neither confirm nor deny that the brand claiming infringement was Chick-fil-A.
At press time, a Chick-fil-A representative had not yet answered calls asking to confirm the company’s potential involvement.
In the incarnation introduced this week, the sandwich is served in a wrapper decorated by snippets of the original cease-and-desist letter received by South Philly. At a suggested price point of $7.49, the Cease and Desist sandwich consists of chicken tenders, pickle chips, honey and mayo on a 10-inch roll.
“When we were notified that we had to pull the plug on our initial creative, we were disappointed but determined to reposition … . As such, we pulled our group together, threw a few ideas against the wall, and South Philly Cheesesteaks & Fries’ Cease and Desist was born,” Andrea Carella, brand manager of South Philly, told NRN.
The unique wrapper is likely to grab attention. But is there concern for further legal repercussions after taunting what the South Philly refers to as a “competing chicken empire”?
Carella said no.
“We have completely complied with the terms of their request, so we’re not really sure that there is anything they can do as the new reposition does not violate any trademarks,” she said.
Contact Dan Orlando at [email protected]
Follow him on Twitter: @DanAMX
