Readers of this blog who live in the Las Vegas area may recall seeing or hearing advertisements for a local strip club that offered a deal on sandwiches from Capriotti’s, a sandwich chain, during happy hour at the club. The ads offered patrons a turkey sandwich on a roll and a drink for $5.
It may have been a good deal, but when Capriotti’s headquarters heard about the offer, executives were not happy. Now Capriotti’s has filed litigation in federal court against the strip club and the franchise location and are asking the court to block future versions of the offer and ad campaign.
The print and radio advertisements said that customers at the defendant strip club, Crazy Horse III, could buy a “Bobbie” sandwich from Capriotti’s, along with a beer or soda, for $5. According to the lawsuit, that promotion was never approved by the company and damages its public reputation by associating it with adult entertainment, allegedly contradicting Capriotti’s “family-friendly” atmosphere. The chain is asking the court in Delaware to issue an injunction stopping the franchise and Crazy Horse from doing any similar promotions in the future or using the term “the Bobbie” or other company trademarks or trade secrets.
The owners of the Las Vegas Capriotti’s location said that they had nothing to do with the promotion. They said they believed that club employees were the ones buying the sandwiches. They have filed a countersuit seeking to stop Capriotti’s from closing down their franchise.
Source: The News Journal, “Capriotti’s sues Las Vegas franchise over racy promo,” Sean O’Sullivan, Jan. 20, 2012
