LE JOURNAL DE MONTRÉAL, LA PRESSE (Canada)
A sushi restaurant in Montreal has been forced to change its name after “Fukyu” was deemed too “risqué” by neighboring residents.
La Presse reported the lawyer of the building’s owner, David Gavitian, said that many in the neighborhood saw the restaurant as a nuisance, with many business owners within the building threatening to leave.
After a Montreal judge ordered the restaurant’s sign to be covered with plastic sheeting, John De Melo, the restaurant’s owner told reporters: “We wanted something catchy and Japanese. We didn’t think that it would be such a problem,” reported Le Journal de Montréal.
Don’t order the “blowfish!” “@calgaryherald: Fukyu sushi bar in Montreal forced to change ‘inappropriate’ name.bit.ly/Pg8gGn”
— Guy Norman Bee (@guynormanbee) September 14, 2012
The name is actually a reference to a form of Japanese martial arts, however, the restaurant has decided to play it safe this time by renaming it Kabuki, alluding to a form of Japanese theatre.
Though it may seem like a major branding f*k up, De Melo said that it has been a positive experience, with his restaurant getting unparalleled publicity: “I think the financial impact on my business will be good.”
