A new Mediterranean restaurant has opened in the former Gulistan House in Broughty Ferry – but has had to change its name after a legal letter from an Edinburgh hotel firm.
Iftikhar Ahmed has transformed the historic building on Queen Street into a new restaurant, which opened its doors for the first time on Friday.
He had planned to open the venue under the name Le Monde, meaning “the world”, with his daughter Aaisha Naseer.
However, just days before opening, the pair received a letter from London-based law firm Venner Shipley acting on behalf of its client Glendola, to highlight the fact that Le Monde is trademarked.
Hospitality company Glendola owns venues including Waxy O’Connor’s in Glasgow and the Le Monde Hotel in Edinburgh.
Iftikhar says he was “surprised” by the news that the phrase had been trademarked.
The 66-year-old said: “We had everything organised under Le Monde and have had to change it all – it did take us by surprise.
Broughty Ferry restaurant boss ‘playing by the rules’ after name change
“We received a letter from the company’s law firm, and I had my solicitor look at it, and somehow they have managed to trademark ‘the world’ (translated as Le Monde).
“The restaurant will now be called 1876 Dundee, which is when the building was built.
“We were supposed to advertise heavily last week, but had to stop because I didn’t want to be taken to court.
“We have to play by the rules.
“The extra expense of all the new signage has been around £10,000, but it is what it is.
“I certainly didn’t want to step on anyone’s toes or intend for this to happen, and want to apologise for the confusion it may have caused.
“We all want to move past this and are excited to welcome customers into the restaurant.”
The restaurant had a soft launch on Friday night, and Iftikhar says the opening weekend was promising, despite a lack of social media announcements.
The businessman previously told The Courier that 1876 Dundee will serve predominantly Mediterranean cuisine and Sunday roasts.
He said: “The menu will consist of a lot of meat, and lots of seafood ranging from lobsters and oysters all the way to salmon steaks, seabass and langoustine.
“We’ll also be doing Sunday roasts. The hope is to have something for everyone.”
When approached for comment by The Courier, Glendola did not respond.
However, law firm Venner Shipley said: “Our client would prefer no response.”
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