The culinary world is stirring as San Francisco's three-Michelin-starred restaurant Quince is embroiled in a legal spat with a local e-commerce upstart also bearing the name Quince. According to a report by SFist, Quince, the acclaimed dining establishment claims that the online retailer Quince.com is confusing customers and diluting its brand.
Chef Michael Tusk and his wife Lindsay, founders of Quince restaurant, seek to resolve the mix-up that has led to wrongly delivered packages and a negative Yelp review intended to take down the retailer, not the three-star eatery, quickly. Meanwhile, Quince.com, a company offering luxury items at lower prices, is gearing up to defend its name in court, as reported by the Daily Mail.
The e-commerce site Quince.com, launched in 2020, has found itself at odds with the esteemed restaurant, which accuses the retailer of causing brand confusion amongst consumers. Customers and reviewers have become entangled in the messy situation, unable to distinguish between a high-end dining experience and an online marketplace selling products ranging from cashmere sweaters to chef's knives. "It went from brand confusion to something that felt much deeper, personal and violating," Michael Tusk told SFist.
On the legal front, Quince restaurant possesses a trademark for catering and culinary consulting services. Still, it hasn't secured one for restaurant and bar services on the principal register. Conversely, the online retailer holds a trademark for specific online retail services. The Tusks have even thrown a $12 million settlement option on the table to let Quince.com keep using the name, which was refused. Quince.com's lawyer, Zachary Briers, contends in a statement to the Daily Mail, "They sell cashmere sweaters and shearling boots and necklaces and comforters. A restaurant with a single location does not have the right to exclude others from using similar names in completely unrelated industries."
As proceedings march toward a courthouse showdown, Quince.com has until February 20 to respond to the restaurant's motion for a preliminary injunction barring its use of the name. The case is set to be argued in front of Judge Araceli Martinez-Olguin on March 21, as reported by the Daily Mail.
