Millionaire chef Heston Blumenthal threatens legal action against tiny Australian cafe over its name
It is the second time the Michelin-starred chef has sent legal papers to an Australian eaterie
A tiny cafe called Fat Duck is being threatened with legal action by millionaire chef Heston Blumenthal unless it changes its name.
Lawyers for the TV cook have fired off a letter to the owner of the AUSTRALIAN cafe saying the reputation of his three Michelin -starred Fat Duck restaurant in Bray, Berkshire, is at risk.
Katie Norris, who opened the Fat Duck Cafe in Oakleigh South, Melbourne, a year and a half ago, says she had never even heard of the TV chef until the five-page legal letter arrived.
While the most expensive item at the Fat Duck Cafe is focaccia at £5.20, Heston charges £195 per person for a tasting menu that includes snail porridge and mock turtle soup.
Katie said she had no choice but to comply with the demand and would be changing the cafe name to the Loose Goose.
She said: “When I first read the letter I thought this is ridiculous. We are just a little cafe.
“If somone came in, they would laugh because my cafe and his restaurant you can’t compare in any shape.
“We don’t have a kitchen - it’s a 40-seat cafe where we mostly sell coffee and cake.”
But Heston, 46, says he cannot risk the restaurant’s name. He said: “The biggest problem is that because the Fat Duck is now a global name, it’s a potentially difficult thing.
“Somebody could operate under the Fat Duck name and do whatever, whether it’s coffee, tea, ice cream, and if something goes wrong, then you don’t have any control over it.”
It’s not the first time Heston has threatened legal action against an Aussie cafe. In 2012 the Fat Duck diner in Sydney had to change its name.