Another fighter entered the taco fight Tuesday. Wednesday, the OC Restaurant Association issued a statement endorsing Taco Bell in criticizing Taco John’s latest filings regarding the “Taco Tuesday” brand. The OC Restaurant Association, which owns TacoTuesday.com, says the first documented use of the proverb was first seen in 1933, 35 years before Taco Jones launched its first restaurant.
“This is not about asking the trademark owner to stop celebrating Taco Tuesday, we are asking them to use common sense and realize that since their trademark was granted, the term has grown beyond that. Millions of people celebrate Taco Tuesday across the country, in restaurants and at home , and you have the right to do so,” says Pamela Witt, founder of TacoTuesday.com, in the release. “The brand of “Taco Tuesday” today can be likened to someone having a “Happy Hour” or a “Sunday Brunch.” We’re here to amplify the voices of our restaurant business friends across the country who celebrate Taco Tuesday, and all the taco-loving aficionados who visit on Tuesday, or Any day of the week – we’re in this together.”
According to the association’s own research, 58 percent of Americans are familiar with the saying “taco Tuesday” while 42 percent say they personally celebrate it in some way, way, or form.
“The love for Taco Tuesday is strong—I personally have been enjoying Taco Tuesday since middle school and that was before 1989. Taco Tuesday has been around long before the brand,” Witt adds. “I am at a loss to understand why anyone would want to cut diners and restaurants out of this fun weekly celebration when it does so much good. Nearly 100,000 restaurants already celebrate Taco Tuesday and Taco Jones hasn’t suffered from it. It can be good. Guys. and support their fellow restaurateurs. We hope the nation’s collective love of tacos will bring us together, not bind or divide us.”
The problem first came to light in May when Taco Bell announced its intention to lobby the United States Patent and Trademark Office to revoke the “Taco Tuesday” trademark that is currently in effect. The trademark is owned by the parent company of Taco John’s, a regional TexMex chain based in the northern United States, and Taco Bell strives to make the phrase usable by any business, no matter how small or large.
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