Hilarious chain knockoffs

[COLORADOrk]

Stars and Bucks Cafe - Bethlehem, Palestinian Territories

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=GHJcPBJlIY92pM&tbnid=sEjKwgW6kuHs0M:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.panoramio.com%2Fphoto%2F23548195&ei=iRpMUb30OOKDywG_7YDIBQ&bvm=bv.44158598,d.aWc&psig=AFQjCNEPUE959Z42-LuJuutEj4voA2UrkA&ust=1364028410736981
Post Merge: March 22, 2013, 07:35:35 PM
oh, and I almost forgot the most hilarious of them all - Cahadder's in Utah - look it up http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsZ61RJLngs

[US71]

Mattoon, IL has a Burger King that's unrelated to the chain. BK Corp tried to sue once, but Mattoon's BK pre-dates the franchise.

Russellville, AR has a Whataburger that isn't related to the chain.  Similar situation here: pre-dated the franchise. They've added a couple new locations in the last few years, but call themselves "Feltner Brothers".

[bugo]

The old Sonic in Mena, Arkansas (which opened in the '70s) is now "Cruizzer's."  The owners didn't want to continue working under Sonic franchise rules, so they went on their own.  The food is mostly the same, except they don't have newer Sonic menu items.  After the old Sonic changed, a new Sonic opened just up the road.  Cruizzer's is usually full, while Sonic gets very little business.  Cruizzer's burgers are a bit better IMO.

[djsinco]

Blake's Lot-a-burger, found in Las Vegas, NM as well as a few other towns which are too small to attract a What-a-Burger.

[corco]

What? Blake's is a delicious New Mexico institution that developed completely independently from Whataburger. They have them in all the big cities in NM too. I think they're based in Albuquerque. Blake's was founded in 52, two years after Whataburger, so I highly doubt the two companies even knew about each other at that point.

Blake's is amazing and one of the things I miss about living in the southwest- there is nothing quite like a Blakes' green chili cheeseburger (a food combination they invented, by the way, which is now a staple of New Mexico cuisine).

Blakes is to New Mexico as Runza is to Nebraska or In 'n Out is to California or Maid-Rite is to Iowa- a sacred institution proudly eaten by its states residents.

Definitely not a knockoff.

[djsinco]

What? Blake's is a delicious New Mexico institution that developed completely independently from Whataburger. They have them in all the big cities in NM too. I think they're based in Albuquerque. Blake's was founded in 52, two years after Whataburger, so I highly doubt the two companies even knew about each other at that point.

Blake's is amazing and one of the things I miss about living in the southwest- there is nothing quite like a Blakes' green chili cheeseburger (a food combination they invented, by the way, which is now a staple of New Mexico cuisine).

Blakes is to New Mexico as Runza is to Nebraska or In 'n Out is to California or Maid-Rite is to Iowa- a sacred institution proudly eaten by its states residents.

Definitely not a knockoff.

I did not attempt to inflame...
The only one I remember seeing was in Las Vegas, and it appeared to be in need of a good coat of paint, (at the least,) much like most of the rest of the town.
I did, however, get a kick out of your use of the phrase "all the big cities in NM." Personally, I do not even put Albuquerque in that league...
Thanks, no offense intended.

[corco]

Sorry- didn't mean to sound inflammatory- I was just slightly flabbergasted

But definitely next time you're in New Mexico check it out and get a green chili cheeseburger- pretty much every town over 5,000 has a Blake's except Roswell for some reason. They're amazing- a little inconsistent, some are better than others but none  that I've been to are bad (I've probably been to 7 of 76, so whatever that is).

[US71]

There is a Dairy King in Commerce, OK. It's in an old Marathon Service Station.

[djsinco]

US71, I think you will need separate searches to find the road less taken and the perfect pizza. The best pizza (IMHO) will be found in northern NJ and populated parts of NY. Not many roads less traveled there!

[Alps]

US71, I think you will need separate searches to find the road less taken and the perfect pizza. The best pizza (IMHO) will be found in northern NJ and populated parts of metro NY City. Not many roads less traveled there!

FTFY.

[djsinco]

US71, I think you will need separate searches to find the road less taken and the perfect pizza. The best pizza (IMHO) will be found in northern NJ and populated parts of metro NY City. Not many roads less traveled there!

FTFY.

Somewhat fixed. I have had some fine pizza upstate and in the Philadelphia area. I will admit that it can be hit or miss, however, now that the city is full of these "dollar a slice" joints, you can find some pretty subpar pizza within Manhattan these days.

But, getting closer to the OP topic; the "real" Ray's pizzeria, to me, was always the one at 6th Av /11th St. I have been going there since the early 1970's. Sadly, they came under new ownership (despite their denial of that fact,) last year. I cannot go back as it was a big disappointment. So, now, my favorite slice in Manhattan is Mike's pizza at 2nd Av / 24th St. Try it, you will like it!

Finally, fully back on topic regarding knockoff's - - Ray's pizza is the ultimate example, there are dozen's of iterations of different "Ray's Pizza" parlors in the city.

[jp the roadgeek]

There is a BlueMoon Cafe whose logo is strikingly similar to the beer of the same name's logo, but has no affiliation.  Main difference: Bluemoon vs. Blue Moon (kinda like the old CFL teams the Saskatchawan Roughriders and the Ottawa Rough Riders)

http://www.bluemoonsouthington.com/blue_logo.jpg

[1995hoo]

There used to be an "Armada Inn" at the southern end of Nags Head. They built it intending to become a Ramada but then were denied a franchise, so they swapped two letters.

[Big John]

There used to be an "Armada Inn" at the southern end of Nags Head. They built it intending to become a Ramada but then were denied a franchise, so they swapped two letters.

Same case by Atlanta at I-20 and GA 70.  Used the same font as Ramada too, then was bought and changed its name, but then closed.  It was reportedly a real seedy motel.

[Road Hog]

Mattoon, IL has a Burger King that's unrelated to the chain. BK Corp tried to sue once, but Mattoon's BK pre-dates the franchise.

Russellville, AR has a Whataburger that isn't related to the chain.  Similar situation here: pre-dated the franchise. They've added a couple new locations in the last few years, but call themselves "Feltner Brothers".

I thought they got around it by spelling it "Whatta-Burger" with two T's and a hyphen. At any rate, it's a very popular stop. With big ass fries.

[Dougtone]

There is a small doughnut chain in Massachusetts called Gourmet Donuts, in the central part of the state north of Worcester.  Their former logo was a very close rendition of the Dunkin' Donuts logo.

[djsinco]

Waffle House (the huge corporation) could not use their name when expanding into IN as the name was already taken. They were (and still might be) named "Waffle Steak." The familiar yellow sign looked about the same.

[1995hoo]

Waffle House (the huge corporation) could not use their name when expanding into IN as the name was already taken. They were (and still might be) named "Waffle Steak." The familiar yellow sign looked about the same.

I've heard of other situations where a chain can't use a particular slogan in a given market due to someone else having it first. If you watch any NHL games played in Canada, for example, you'll often see "Pizza Pizza" somewhere on the boards. It's not a reference to Little Caesars; rather, it's the name of a Canadian pizza chain founded in Toronto in 1967. Little Caesars didn't start using the "Pizza! Pizza!" slogan until 1979 and so were not allowed to use it in Canada due to trademark dilution issues.

I remember in my law school basic IP class we read a trademark infringement case in which CBS sued a Buffalo-area car mechanic who opened an auto repair shop using his own name. His name was Ed Sullivan. He prevailed in the lawsuit. (It led to an interesting classroom discussion involving McDonald's and the company's efforts to keep the "Mc-" prefix for themselves.)

[agentsteel53]

US71, I think you will need separate searches to find the road less taken and the perfect pizza. The best pizza (IMHO) will be found in northern NJ and populated parts of metro NY City. Not many roads less traveled there!

FTFY.

I do not deny this.  and I'm from Boston, so this is a sinful admission on my part.  I remember taking the Fung Wah Bus down from Chinatown, Boston to Chinatown, New York, many times - and the first thing I did when I got off the bus was walk a few blocks north to Little Italy and hit any old pizza shop.  never let me down. 

[Takumi]

This is next to my local junkyard. What-A-Burger is separate from the chain, of course, but has at least three locations nearby.

[RoadWarrior56]

Whatever happened to the Indiana based "Waffle House" restaurant chain that was not the more famous national chain based out of Atlanta?

[BamaZeus]

This is next to my local junkyard. What-A-Burger is separate from the chain, of course, but has at least three locations nearby.

The sub shop seems to have a familiar-looking logo and color scheme as well.

[Takumi]

Indeed, and Kulture Kuts, while a bit of a stretch, could be considered a knockoff of Super Cuts. If the currently empty place to to the left of the sub shop became a Kennedy Fried Chicken, it would be the knockoff capital of Virginia.

[kphoger]

And, now that I'm looking closely, isn't that a Chevrdet in the parking lot?

[Takumi]

Yes. It's a Chevrdet Carapace.