CYPRESS Calif. Don’t mess with the Kogi truck.
That appears to be the message from fans after news went viral Thursday of Baja Fresh Mexican Grill’s test of Korean-style tacos and burritos — similar to those of the famed Kogi BBQ taco truck in Los Angeles.
Kogi officials posted aNation’s Restaurant News online article mentioning the Baja Fresh test on its website. As a result, fans of the Kogi truck raised a virtual ruckus via posts and comments on the truck’s Twitter and blog pages, with some suggesting a lawsuit was in order.
Chuck Rink, president of Baja Fresh, responded with a statement posted by The Orange County Register saying the chain’s Korean barbecue style products are “by no means intended to seem ‘stolen’ from the famous LA-area Kogi taco truck.”
Rink said the “Baja Kogi” name for the products being tested in a prototype store in Irvine, Calif., was developed because “kogi” is the word for meat. The tacos and burritos at Baja Fresh feature either chicken or beef with a kimchee slaw and sesame salsa Roja.
In the statement, Rink said, “We have since learned ‘gogi’ is the general word and will be moving to change our naming to Gogi for the Irvine store and for any future roll outs of these products.
“We admire greatly the success and popularity of the food items from the Kogi taco truck, and Korean BBQ style food overall,” Rink added. “As always, when our customers are interested in and demand a food offering, we often do what we can to get that food into our stores. We are really excited about all the buzz and interest in our Korean BBQ style tacos and burritos and hopeful that we can extend beyond Irvine, giving fans more choices, including, always, the original Kogi taco truck.”
Kogi officials obtained a limited-use trademark specific to mobile café services for their logo in December last year, while Baja Fresh applied for a trademark for the term “Kogi” in May, including possible use for food and other products, such as promotional toys, clothing, hats and online computer services.
Natasha Phan, director of business development for Kogi BBQ, declined to comment earlier this week on any possible trademark concerns.
On the Kogi blogsite, officials simply thanked fans for their support and reiterated that they are “not affiliated with any of this business. All of our energies have been focused on serving you the best we can.”
Based in Cypress, Baja Fresh has neary 300 fast-casul restaurants.
Contact Lisa Jennings at [email protected]