Celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal's "Fat Duck" has gone controversial again after he threatened to sue a French Bistro because it's bearing the same restaurant name.
Lawyers for Blumenthal sent a cease and desist letter to Jason Annetts demanding him to change his restaurant. Annetts is a British who built a restaurant under the name "Fat Duck" in Nov. 2015. As Independent reports, Annetts registered his "Fat Duck" Bistro which can be found in in Confolens, western France because it was inspired by her daughter's first word, "duck." The lawyers insisted that Annetts revised the bistro name to avoid confusion that it's connected with Blumenthal's "Fat Duck."
"I received a cease and desist letter from Heston Blumenthal's lawyers in Paris. I couldn't read it. I don't understand French yet. I'd only been here for nine months then," Annetts said. "Why would someone of his stature be bothered by me? I'm just a pub chef, I make good fresh grub. I don't understand why a chef of his calibre would be bothered by someone like me."
Annettts told Daily Mail that he would surely have a bistro with a British name so everyone would recognize where he came from. He also admitted to the British newspaper that he had heard of Blumenthal's "Fat Duck" in the U.K. However he claimed that it was not his inspiration for his French bistro given that there's a lot of businesses in Britain with the same name. Blumenthal's "Fat Duck" in Berkshire, England specializes in unique dishes including snail porridge and bacon and egg ice cream.
As Eater reported, Annetts offered to change his bistro name to Le Fat Duckling, but he was turned down by Blumenthal's legal team. "We are a bistro. I'm based in a supportive community with a great way of life. Our customers are fifty per cent French, the rest are expats. Why would he be so threatened by me? I don't want to change the name of my restaurant. I like it," he said.
Blumenthal's "Fat Duck" is not the only one in the world. Aside from the French bistro, "Fat Duck" is also being used by restaurants in different countries, including Canada, Malaysia and Australia. Annetts' bistro offers Caesar salads, risottos, burgers, classic dishes and steak and chips. Annetts pointed out the huge difference between his bistro and Blumenthal's "Fat Duck." He claimed that Blumenthal's "Fat Duck" menu is a fixed price of £225 per person without wine while Annetts' bistro is offering Fat Duck Burger for 10.95€, or a ribeye steak for 17.95€.
