The battle for Taco Tuesday is over.
Gregory’s Restaurant and Bar, the 77-year-old Somers Point eatery that held a trademark on “Taco Tuesday” since 1982, has relinquished legal ownership of the branded slogan. Monolithic Mexican chain Taco Bell, which had long fought to have the trademark “liberated” in all 50 states and had succeeded in all but New Jersey, made the announcement — fittingly — on Tuesday.
“Taco Tuesday has always been a source of pride for my family and our restaurant, but we recognize Taco Tuesday is widely celebrated and embraced beyond our four walls,” Gregory Gregory, co-owner of Gregory’s Restaurant and Bar, said in a statement. “We’re excited to share Taco Tuesday with the entire New Jersey community and though we’ve relinquished the trademark registration, you can bet Taco Tuesdays will live on at Gregory’s forever.”
Gregory’s statement is a sharp departure from what he was saying throughout the summer, when the Taco Tuesday war was heating up. The phrase became available in 49 states after Wyoming-based Taco John’s relinquished its trademark in July — it held the trademark in every state but New Jersey — as the legal battle with Taco Bell became too expensive. But Gregory stood his ground, balking when he said Taco Bell’s only offer of compensation was to feature him in a Taco Tuesday ad.
The 71-year-old only became more determined when Taco Bell offered free tacos in every state but New Jersey, a move he felt was intended to make the family-owned restaurant look bad.
“I’ll show you what Taco Tuesday is,” Gregory told NJ Advance Media in September. “It’s not a imprint on your bag. It’s not a $2 discount on your night. It’s a happening. Come down and be part of it. You’ll see. You’ll walk away and say, ‘Yeah, he deserves to have that trademark.’”
Reached by NJ Advance Media on Tuesday, Gregory would not divulge if the compensation had changed for the restaurant’s forfeiture of the trademark. But Taco Bell thanked the eatery specifically in a press release.
“When we set out to free Taco Tuesday, we did it for all who make, sell, eat and celebrate tacos,” Taco Bell Chief Global Brand and Strategy Officer and incoming Chief Executive Officer Sean Tresvant said in the statement. “Taco Bell wants everyone to have the opportunity to celebrate Taco Tuesday, including Gregory’s Restaurant and Bar. Thanks to Gregory’s choice to relinquish the trademark registration, New Jersey businesses and fans can fully enjoy Taco Tuesday, effective immediately.”
New Jersey will be getting a Taco Tuesday of its own from Taco Bell on Nov. 21, when Taco Bell Reward Members will be able to purchase a free Nacho Cheese Doritos Locos Taco.
That is a far cry from the Taco Tuesday at Gregory’s Restaurant and Bar, which draws raucous crowds for hard-shell beef tacos featuring a salsa recipe from a 1978 issue of Playboy Magazine. Tuesdays have become one of the most important nights of the week for the restaurant.
And even without a trademark, that likely won’t change.
“We will forever be the home of the original Taco Tuesday,” Gregory told NJ Advance Media.
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Jeremy Schneider may be reached at jschneider@njadvancemedia.com and followed on Twitter at @J_Schneider and on Instagram at @JeremyIsHungryAgain.