Sweetgreen Inc. has agreed to change the name of a recently unveiled menu item, the “Chipotle Chicken Burrito Bowl,” resolving a trademark infringement lawsuit filed this week by the fast-casual restaurant chain Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc.
The dish’s name will be changed to “Chicken + Chipotle Pepper Bowl as part of a tentative agreement to resolve the lawsuit,” Sweetgreen said in a statement to Bloomberg Law on Thursday.
Chipotle filed the lawsuit on Tuesday in California federal court, only days after Sweetgreen launched its new menu on March 30. The complaint said Sweetgreen’s use of “chipotle” as the first word of the dish’s name would cause consumer confusion between the brands.
“We are pleased that Sweetgreen has chosen to amend their materials in a manner that protects our trademarks and intellectual property, and therefore, we have both agreed to resolve the pending lawsuit,” Chipotle’s Chief Corporate Affairs Officer Laurie Schalow said in a statement to Bloomberg Law on Thursday.
Chipotle said it sent a letter to Sweetgreen recommending that the fast-casual chain known for its salads should change the name of the dish to more clearly show that chipotle is only an ingredient, such as “chicken bowl with chipotle.”
The Mexican food chain has sued other establishments in the past such as Jack in the Box Inc. and Kroger Co. for selling chicken-based meals with chipotle in the name, but the disputes resulted in settlements.
Holland & Hart LLP represents Chipotle.
The case is Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. v. Sweetgreen Inc., C.D. Cal., No. 8:23-cv-00596, complaint filed 4/4/23.
To contact the reporter on this story:
To contact the editors responsible for this story:
Learn more about Bloomberg Law or Log In to keep reading:
See Breaking News in Context
Bloomberg Law provides trusted coverage of current events enhanced with legal analysis.
Already a subscriber?
Log in to keep reading or access research tools and resources.