Bodega restaurant in Denver forced to change name to 'Odie B's' following legal dispute

A new flare-up in the Denver-Kansas City rivalry has prompted a name change for one local eatery.

The popular Sunnyside restaurant (now formerly known as) Bodega, which opened in 2022 at 2651 W. 38th Ave. in Denver, has been forced to change its name to “Odie B’s” following a cease and desist order from “La Bodega,” a Spanish tapas lounge in Kansas City, Missouri.

Cara Blauvelt co-owns the restaurant with her husband Cliff Blauvelt, a culinary veteran with more than two decades of experience — including stops Watercourse Foods and Steuben's, among others.

Blauvelt said that despite extensive negotiations with lawyers representing the Kansas City outfit, an agreement could not be reached for them to continue using the Bodega name. That prompted the rebrand, which has cost them approximately $10,000, she said.

"Bodega would not be considered generic under trademark law as it is not a word, like 'hammer', that covers an entire product or service," said Aaron P. Bradford, a lawyer who specializes in intellectual property law at legal firm Sheridan Ross in Denver. "Bodega is definitely close, but it seems that the registrant is using it to cover a restaurant, not a store. In this way, it is a non-generic use of the word, which allows it to be trademarked."

Bradford notes that a search of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's website found over 5,000 past and current applications and registrations that include the word “Bodega” with more than 1,500 current registrations.

“It’s already hard enough to run restaurants and it’s tragic when other independent operators are out to get you too,” Blauvelt told The Denver Gazette. “But, in the end, it is just business and we can't take it personally.”

The new moniker, “Odie B’s” is a tongue-in-cheek nod to the rapper “Ol' Dirty Bastard,” the stage name for Russell Tyrone Jones — one of the founding members of the Wu-Tang Clan and a favorite artist of Cliff Blauvelt. Cara said the restaurant checked into the ability to trademark the new name, a process which the business is currently working on.

Despite the new name, the restaurant will continue to serve the same fare which has made it a popular spot since its opening. Must-try items include the “Hustler” (a breakfast burrito with green chile, chorizo, tots, habanero crema, and scrambled eggs) as well as its sandwiches, including the “Basic”, (bacon, egg, hash brown, and American cheese on a poppy seed kaiser roll) and the “Dirty Denver,” a sandwich which the restaurant hails as the “official sandwich of Denver,” featuring green chile braised short rib, cheese curds, beefy mayo, salt and vinegar, and crispy onions on a hoagie roll.

Additionally, the restaurant's smash burger was recently featured as Denver’s best burger by 5280 Magazine.

With potential legal troubles aside, the couple can now refocus on the day-to-day operations of their business.

“We are in the process of growing, so we are grateful to ensure some brand security, as well as set ourselves apart from some of the other Bodegas in Denver,” Cara Blauvelt said.

Interested patrons can view their full menu on their newly branded website: https://www.odie-bs.com/