Three restaurants on a Philadelphia block have names that look similar in English. The new Mei Mei at 926 Arch St. faces Sichuan restaurant EMei across Arch Street; an Old City restaurant called Mei Mei has operated since 2020. The dispute has also raised a practical question: when can similar names lead customers to the wrong business?
A New Chinatown Restaurant
A new 300-seat Mei Mei has opened in Chinatown, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
The restaurant spans three floors, with dining areas, banquet space and private karaoke rooms totaling 300 seats. The Inquirer reported that the renovation converted former apartments into restaurant space and added an elaborate chandelier imported from China. The new Mei Mei offers an $8.50 lunch buffet combo of four dishes and soup, then serves Cantonese dishes at dinner.
Customer Mix-Ups and a Neighbor's Concern
Across the street, EMei at 915 Arch St. has served Sichuan cooking since opening in 2011. The restaurant says it appeared in the 2024 edition of The 76, according to EMei Restaurant.
Tsao told the Inquirer that customers had mistaken EMei for the Old City Mei Mei, including in online reviews. He said customers of the Old City restaurant called EMei to book parties while that restaurant was closed after a flood in February 2025. The similar names have also contributed to customer confusion. Tsao said he understood the Rens’ position and respected the challenges of opening a business.
The Stories Behind the Names
The Old City Mei Mei, at 33 S. Second St., opened in March 2020 under Jay Ho. It serves contemporary Asian cooking and cocktails and has a basement lounge. Ho told the Inquirer that the name represents his family’s legacy and is dedicated to his sisters. After learning of the new restaurant’s name, he contacted the Ren family through an intermediary. Ho is seeking a friendly resolution rather than immediate legal action, the Inquirer reported.
The English names look alike, a similarity that has prompted confusion among customers.
A Familiar Pattern in Philly's Restaurant Scene
A Familiar Pattern in Philly's Restaurant Scene A previous Dim Sum Garden naming dispute involved Jintao “Tom” Guo, Shizhou Da and Sally Song, with the businesses connected to an 11th Street location and a 2013 move to Race Street.
The Tom's name resurfaced in another dispute in 2019, when competing restaurants called Tom's Dim Sum Media and Tom's Dim Sum Mania operated within feet of each other in Media, Pennsylvania. The owners of Tom's Dim Sum Media sued Jintao “Tom” Guo, alleging, according to Billy Penn, that he opened the Mania version to deliberately mislead the public and “steal away” business. That fight followed an earlier Dim Sum Garden naming dispute between Guo and former associates that had been settled out of court.
Philadelphia's dining scene has seen other name disputes beyond dim sum. Restaurant owner Matthew Cahn sued in federal court in Las Vegas to block a forthcoming restaurant there from using the Middle Child name, alleging trademark infringement, as reported by the Inquirer.
What Trademark Guidance Can—and Cannot—Resolve
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office says marks need not be identical to be considered confusingly similar: its registration analysis considers similarity in sound, appearance, meaning or overall commercial impression, as well as whether the associated goods or services are related. That general framework does not determine the outcome of any dispute between these restaurants. A separate Philadelphia restaurant-name dispute took a more formal route: PhillyVoice reported that on May 9, 2024, Philadelphia’s Middle Child sued in federal court in Las Vegas to block a restaurant group there from opening a restaurant with the same name. That filed lawsuit differs from the civil disagreement described here, where no immediate legal action is reported.
A Wider Chinatown Planning Context
A Wider Chinatown Planning Context The City of Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation’s December 2023 Chinatown Stitch Vision Report describes a community vision for the Vine Street corridor focused on stronger neighborhood connections, equitable mixed-use development opportunities and inclusive mobility options.
The Story Behind the Dispute The story of the two Mei Mei names has been framed around pathos rather than intellectual property.
