NEW ORLEANS –– A federal judge blocked a New Orleans food hall from using the St. Roch Market name for other restaurants around the United States.
Judge Sarah S. Vance of the U.S. District for the Eastern District of Louisiana granted a request by city officials on Aug. 8 to place an injunction on Helpful Hound and its subsidiaries preventing the company from opening any more restaurants using the famous street's name.
Helpful Hound already runs the St. Roch Market in New Orleans and a location in Miami, which city officials did not contest.
The original historic St. Roch Market dates back to 1838.
| WPA photo
In her ruling, Vance wrote the injunction should "remain in effect until a trial is conducted on the merits or until it is otherwise modified by the court."
Last year, Helpful Hound tried to trademark the name, but the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office denied the application. City officials attempted to register, too, without success.
The original historic St. Roch Market dates back to 1838. According to court documents, the open-air market had acquired its distinctive signage by 1964. Damaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the cty of New Orleans renovated St. Roch Market between 2012 and 2014. The renovation cost over $3 million.
Once the renovations were completed in 2014, Will Donaldson, who is named as a defendant in the lawsuit, submitted a proposal on behalf of a company called Launch Pad. Launch Pad proposed to “replicate the original St. Roch Market through the installation of 15 independent, local food vendors, each selling fresh and prepared foods seven days a week," according to court documents.
In a series of leases, the building was rented out to Bayou Secret which became business partners with Donaldson. Under that lease agreement, the city claims Helpful Hound allowed Bayou Secret to use the name "St. Roch Market."
Bayou Secret and related entities also opened a food hall called “St. Roch Market” in Miami earlier this year.