Taco John's Is Doubling Down On Its Taco Tuesday Trademark
People love alliteration, and many brands, from Dunkin' Donuts to Coca-Cola and beyond, have certainly catered to this love when coming up with names. Taco Tuesday is another popular alliteration that often signals special deals on tacos and other Mexican fare. Maybe you're hosting a Taco Tuesday fiesta night at your home with homemade tortillas and margaritas, or perhaps you venture to a restaurant to score some discounts on Mexican food classics. Even if you personally call it "Taco Tuesday," restaurants in most of the U.S. can't technically use that phrase unless granted permission. The reason? Taco John's officially trademarked the phrase in 1989 and has no plans to remove it.
Taco John's is a fast-casual Mexican chain restaurant found in several midwestern states. The chain may remind you of another Mexican-inspired chain (cough, cough, Taco Bell), but the two chains share more than quick affordable food. The two chains have been involved in a fast food Taco Tuesday beef over Taco John's refusal to let go of its trademark. Taco Bell filed a petition to release the moniker for everyone and anyone to use, but Taco John dismissed it, with the CEO publishing a press release this week that says, "No más, por favor!"
Taco John's is taking advantage of the lawsuit
The lawsuit hasn't appeared to dampen the attitude at Taco John's. In a cheeky nod to being the sole keeper of the Taco Tuesday phrase, the chain will offer two tacos for $2 every day of the week, starting yesterday (May 16) until May 31. The deal is good for both the soft shell and crispy shell tacos and is only available for the chain's rewards members or through the Taco John's app. In another dig at Taco Bell, Taco John's CEO Jim Creel said, "We love celebrating Taco Tuesday® with taco lovers everywhere, and we even want to offer a special invitation to fans of Taco Bell to liberate themselves by coming by to see how flavorful and bold tacos can be at Taco John's® all month long."
As an added benefit, customers who place their orders through the app will earn points that they can redeem for free food. When customers order at the restaurant, a QR code is available to scan, which awards 10 points for every dollar spent. The points can then be redeemed for tacos and other snacks. For those who are new to the rewards, or perhaps are downloading the app to take advantage of the Taco Tuesday special, they'll be rewarded with a free jalapeno ranch or lime chicken taco on their next visit.