(Updated, Aug. 26, 9:28 a.m.)
PROVIDENCE – Federal Hill’s Café Longo LLC and proprietor Jerry Longo are the target of a lawsuit filed by Florida restaurant owner Steve Martorano.
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Martorano filed suit with the U.S. District Court in Rhode Island on July 28, claiming that Longo has committed intentional trade dress infringement of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based Café Martorano.
“I may not be able to stop someone from playing the same music we play or serving similar food to what we serve, but I can stop someone from copying every single detail of my restaurant … and certainly for taking credit for creating the concept in the first place,” Martorano said in a press release.
According to Martorano, he and Longo were once friends and Longo used to spend a considerable amount of time at Café Martorano.
Café Longo, which opened in March 2009, allegedly offers identical menu items, recipes, music and movies to those found in the Italian-style Café Martorano.
“We deserve credit for creating a first-class, renowned restaurant that is unparalleled in the industry today. That’s why we filed this lawsuit,” Martorano added.
Since opening in Fort Lauderdale in 1993, Café Martorano has established two other locations, one at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas in 2007, and another at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla., earlier this year.
An attorney who identified himself as representing Café Longo declined to comment.
I don’t get it. How is this guy harmed by a copycat restaurant 1500 miles away from his?