They do say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but a longtime Chicago fried chicken institution said imitation went too far after a new business opened with a very similar name.<\/p>\n
The owners of the original accuse the new restaurant of copying them.<\/p>\n
Famous for its fried chicken and secret sauce, Uncle Remus Saucy Fried Chicken, 5611 W. Madison St., has been a fixture on Chicago’s West Side since the 1960s.<\/p>\n
“I took over the business. I’m second generation,” said Uncle Remus Saucy Fried Chicken chief executive officer Charmaine Rickette, “and it means a lot.”<\/p>\n
Rickette said her family’s chicken legacy was nearly plucked right from her last month.<\/p>\n
A new business called Uncle Remy’s Saucy Fried Chicken popped up in south suburban Lansing and on Chicago’s South Side, and was taking orders under the same name.<\/p>\n
“Someone is definitely using our name and likeness,” said Rickette. “It’s not fair for someone to come in and capitalize.”<\/p>\n
The Uncle Remy’s restaurants have no affiliation with the real Uncle Remus.<\/p>\n
“It had people confused, because the product wasn’t the same,” Rickette said.<\/p>\n
Rickette owns several trademarks for the business name and sent the owners of Uncle Remy’s a cease-and-desist letter. The name “Remy’s” and the word “Saucy” were then removed from the signs at Uncle Remy’s, leaving “Uncle Fried Chicken” as the new name.<\/p>\n
The owners of what used to be Uncle Remy’s say they never intended to copy or imitate Uncle Remus, and chalk it all up to a misunderstanding.<\/p>\n
It amounts to a golden victory for the Uncle Remus Saucy Fried Chicken legacy.<\/p>\n
“I knew it was important for the community that we stood up for our brand,” Rickette said. “When you build a brand, you don’t want that infringed upon at all.”<\/p>\n
The owner of Uncle Remus said at last check, both of the former Uncle Remy’s locations have complied with the cease-and-desist and removed all of the signage.<\/p>\n
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