San Diego's Fairplay bar and restaurant, a local hotspot in North Park, recently shook up its menu in response to a legal scuffle with In-N-Out Burger. According to FOX 5 San Diego, the cease-and-desist letter, which came as something of an honor according to Fairplay's management, challenged the bar's use of "Animal Fries" and the "Double Double" on their menu—names identical to the trademarked items at the famous burger chain.
In a surprisingly upbeat spin on what some might see as a setback, Shane Gerde, one of the restaurant’s owners, explained that they were going for recognizable names that gave customers a clear idea of what to expect from their dishes, citing the names as hallmarks of Southern California cuisine—but despite this sweet nod to regional traditions and their creative twist on the staples, they swiftly swapped the names to "Secret Menu Fries" and "Burger Burger" after receiving the legal notice earlier this year.
Embracing the incident, Fairplay took to social media to announce the name changes in conjunction with National Cheeseburger Day, which added a touch of serendipity to the timing, SanDiegoVille detailed. The bar's post encouraged patrons to come in and grab the newly dubbed menu items, maintaining a lighthearted tone.
Gleaning a bit of glory from the cease-and-desist, Gerde stated, "It was just nice to be recognized, quite honestly. To show up on somebody’s radar like that, it’s pretty cool," he said, per FOX 5 San Diego. Reflecting an unexpectedly positive take on the experience and emphasizing there's no bad blood between the establishments, Fairplay remains committed to serving their San Diego community with their unique culinary offerings, and Gerde even suggests locals might enjoy comparing their dishes with the In-N-Out classics to savor the differences themselves.
