Legal Battle Starts Over Use of 'Next Door' Name

A ten year old Boulder-born restaurant group and an eatery and bar in Loveland are hashing out a legal dispute over a name in federal court, the Business Den reported. The Kitchen Next Door, an offshoot of the popular farm-to-table the Kitchen, has sued Next Door Food & Drink of Loveland claiming that the business is violating its trademarked phrase "Next Door."

The Kitchen has pubs with "Next Door" in the name in Boulder, Glendale, and most recently Union Station. It started to use the name in 2011 along with recognizable branding and logos. The company owned by Kimbal Musk and Hugo Matheson argues that the Loveland restaurant opened in 2012 not only uses the "next door" name but also logos that are too similar to Kitchen-branded Next Door logos.

"It's a big guy versus a little guy," Jim Edwards of Next Door Food & Drink said. Edwards has refused to change the name and maintains that the Kitchen has no rights to the Next Door name.