Beloved Jamaican restaurant, Randy’s Patties, is filing a lawsuit against a Toronto-based shop for allegedly using the same name, leading to confusion amongst customers and a drop in sales.
A spokesperson for the restaurant tells Now Toronto a lawsuit was filed against Randy Kangal, owner of Toronto-based restaurant Randy’s Roti and Doubles.
The spokesperson said that a lawsuit was filed three weeks ago due to Kangal allegedly running businesses using Randy’s name, which includes selling patties also named Randy’s Patties, despite the restaurant claiming they own the trademark ‘Randy’s’.
“[He] brought confusion into the market knowing that there was already an existing Randy’s,” the spokesperson told Now Toronto.
Read More
Shortly after filing the lawsuit, they learned Kangal was selling patties in grocery stores branded as Randy’s Patties after a customer reached out to complain that there was no meat in the patties she bought.
“She sent me a picture…. so that’s how we found out,” the spokesperson said.
Since finding out about the patties being sold in the supermarket, the restaurant says it is now working on filing an injunction.
The back and forth legal disputes have been ongoing for nearly two years between Randy’s Patties and Kangal when the previous owners of Randy’s Patties first learned that Kangal was selling patties at the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE), all while using the same name, resulting in a cease and desist being sent to him.
Despite the cease and desist, Kangal allegedly returned to the CNE in 2024 under the same name, resulting in another cease and desist from the new and current owners of Randy’s Patties.
“He’s not supposed to be using the name Randy’s at all, because we actually own the name Randy’s,” the spokesperson said.
On top of using the same name, the restaurant says Kangal has even displayed it in the same bold red letters that the restaurant uses, leading to even more confusion amongst customers.
The restaurant says it believes customers have been mistaking their patties for the ones Kangal has been selling in grocery stores recently, leading to a drop in sales.
“We’re not making as much money as we were making, the traffic has calmed down. Now, we know he’s been selling patties in the supermarket,” the restaurant said. “This is summertime, supposed to pick up, not go down.”
The restaurant says the situation has been exhausting, and that it doesn’t appear that Kangal is “backing off.”
“Even though he’s been served the lawsuit, even though he was given two cease and desist letters, which he refused… he has a nerve,” the restaurant said.
Now Toronto reached out to Kangal for a comment about the allegations but did not receive a response in time of publication.
While the disputes have been ongoing for two years, Kangal has reportedly been running businesses in Toronto and the GTA for a decade, but Randy’s Patties only learned of Kangal’s businesses in 2023 after customers told them about the patties being sold at the CNE.
The restaurant says it has since been in touch with Loblaws, who owns NoFrills, to pull Kangal’s products off of shelves.
“We can’t move forward with any kind of substantial marketing because of this guy, because of the market confusion,” the restaurant said.
