Downtown eatery changes name due to trademark concerns
Terry Woodward ran his downtown diner Hard Times Cafe for 12
years under a theme that evoked the Great Depression era with
memorabilia throughout such as an old street light, swiveling bar
stools and tables covered in black-and-white ads from long ago.
Downtown eatery changes name due to trademark concerns
Terry Woodward ran his downtown diner Hard Times Cafe for 12 years under a theme that evoked the Great Depression era with memorabilia throughout such as an old street light, swiveling bar stools and tables covered in black-and-white ads from long ago.
But last October he received a green certified envelope in the mail informing him that a chili parlor franchise under the same name in West Virginia was demanding he, along with other businesses throughout the country, change the name because it has a trademark on the moniker.
“The kind you get when you haven’t paid your alimony,” he quipped.
That prompted Woodward – he did not pursue a challenge because it became clear it likely would not succeed – to query guests and employees and ultimately come up with the new name for the downtown establishment, Best of Times Cafe.
Although the new name is the complete opposite in theme, incidentally, part of the reason Woodward went with Best of Times was because it has a similar ring to it as the old one.
“The local cafe or diner would bring people together to talk about the times,” said Woodward, of such old-time restaurants during the Depression.
The irony here is that the economy was doing well when Woodward opened his restaurant in the fall of 1996. Now, of course, the national and local economies are suffering through the worst recession in decades.
Of the new name, he remarked, “It gives something for people to feel good about.”
That new name has been received well by customers, he said, and Woodward expects business to continue on as usual under Best of Times, largely because he has built a strong customer base over the years.
He also said it has opened up some opportunities for change.
For one, he painted over the huge “Hard Times Cafe” sign on the wall inside and plans to replace it with old Hollister photos. He also noted how the restaurant added menu items such as blue-plate dinners and Italian provincial cuisine.
On the downside, Woodward said the experience of changing a business name has brought “a lot of headaches” such as changing his sign and awning, a DBA (doing business as) recording and publishing the notice in the newspaper.
Regardless of the change, he is confident the restaurant’s reputation for high quality will remain for years to come.
“We’ll still be here,” he said.
