Lucky Chip forced to rename Mark Wahlberg burger after lawyers' letter
London burger pop-up-turned-permanent site Lucky Chip has claimed it was forced to change the name of a burger named after the US actor Mark Wahlberg, after receiving a cease and desist letter from his lawyers.
The burger pop-up, which is owned by founder Ben Denner and located at the Old Queen's Head pub in Islington (before opening its new permanent location in Dalston), introduced the option named after the movie star thanks to Denner's admiration of Wahlberg, and made the burger with 35-day aged Longhorn beef and braised short rib.
The actor's lawyers reportedly said that the burger could be confused with creations from Wahlberg's own burger restaurant brand, Wahlburgers, which the actor runs in the US with brothers Donnie and Paul. It is also said to have claimed that Lucky Chip was competing with Wahlberg's own brand, and that Lucky Chip had given the false impression that the actor endorsed the name.
Lucky Chip also serves burgers named after the Beastie Boys, Kevin Bacon and John Belushi.
Denner explained: "We named it after [Wahlberg] because I'm just a big fan; I think he's a great dude. I'm a fan of a lot of his movies. When I saw the email I opened it and thought at first it was a joke. I was a bit surprised to be honest. Fair enough if we were in America trying to compete with his brand, I could understand that, but we're a small company and it's quite fun and laid back. I don't think we've disrespected him in any way. Personally, I would have thought he'd be happy."
Denner added: "There are no hard feelings from my end. I hope he comes in for lunch one day."
Founded as a food burger van in 2011, Lucky Chip has now opened its first permanent venue : a 70-seat site on Ridley Street in east London's Dalston, officially named Lucky Chip Burgers & Wine. It serves a wide choice of burgers including the luxury John Belushi, which features duck, veal, foie gras, marrow and truffle aioli; plus the classic cheeseburger option with mustard and pickles.
There is also a small selection of hot dogs, chicken wings and fries, along with dips and sauces, including the slightly unusual cream soda BBQ sauce and ginger sweet chilli.
There is also be over 120 wines on offer, while the décor is inspired by a traditional American steakhouse.
Lucky Chip Burgers group to open first permanent site >>
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