St. Petersburg vegan favorite Good Intentions’ Restaurant Week offering is a three-course, $59.99, plant-based special that includes a decadent Juicy Marbles filet (complete with a loaded baked potato and pan-seared asparagus), salad, bread and butter. It also came with a “Blooming onion”—until earlier this week.
The intermezzo, if you will, is now referred to as an “Onion Blossom” after Bloomin’ Brands—the parent company of Outback Steakhouse—sent a cease-and-desist letter to Good Intentions.
“Your use of the term ‘Blooming Onion’ is in direct violation of the Company’s trademark rights, as it is confusingly similar in sight or sound with a registered mark, simply adding one letter. It has been widely held that similarity in sight of sound with a registered mark for a similar product constitutes trademark infringement.,” the letter reads.
Outback’s parent company also said that the “use of the mountain range horizon logo with the words ‘Good Intentions’ is also in direct violation of the Company’s trademark rights.”
“Wallaby darned! Our Restaurant Week special is so good and just right, the people right out-back took notice! Come and get it before it ceases and desists,” the restaurant wrote on social media.
The good time, and great meal, could not be roo-ined in the comment section either.
One commenter said of the trademark infringement onion, “I thought there were no rules, just right?,” alluding to Outback Steakhouse’s slogan. Another hoped it would be renamed the “Bussin’ Onion.”
Still, the special remains and is one of more than 60 offerings during Tampa Bay Restaurant Week where local restaurants team up with Creative Loafing Tampa Bay to bring new customers into the doors.
See all the specials, which end after June 23, below.
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This article appears in Jun 20-26, 2024.