Outback issued this St. Pete vegan restaurant a cease and desist for its ‘Bloomin’ Onion’ product

So much for having a little fun with your food.

A playful spin on a popular Outback Steakhouse dish was short-lived, after a St. Petersburg restaurant received a cease-and-desist letter from Outback’s parent company last week.

Vegan restaurant Good Intentions had been selling a crispy-fried “Onion Blossom” — a play on Outback’s Bloomin’ Onion — as part of a temporary prix-fixe menu when they received a letter from Bloomin’ Brands, the Tampa-based parent company of Outback Steakhouse, accusing the restaurant of trademark infringement.

“Your use of the term ‘Blooming Onion‘ is in direct violation of the Company’s trademark rights, as it is confusingly similar to our registered mark, simply adding one letter,” the letter, dated June 14, stated. “Additionally, your use of the mountain range horizon log with the words ‘Good Intentions’ is also in direct violation of the Company’s trademark rights.”

The restaurant’s co-owner Jenny Howe told the Tampa Bay Times the wording and artwork were nothing more than a promotional pun, offered as part of Creative Loafing’s Tampa Bay Restaurant week. To promote the meal, the restaurant created a logo similar to Outback Steakhouse’s with a similar font and a palm tree in front.

Howe also said the St. Petersburg restaurant never called the dish a “Blooming Onion,” in their social media or on their menu but that Tampa Bay Restaurant Week promotional copy had the phrasing.

In an email, a Bloomin’ Brands spokesperson indicated a statement was forthcoming.

Upon receiving the letter from Bloomin’ Brands, Howe said the restaurant promptly removed the wording and logo.

The Good Intentions team still had some tongue-in-cheek fun with the incident, however.

“Wallaby darned! Our Restaurant Week special is so good and just right, the people right out-back took notice!,” the owners wrote in an Instagram caption accompanying a copy of the letter. “Come and get it before it ceases and desists!”

“This was the last week of restaurant week so we might as well poke some fun at it,” Howe said. “I think it’s funny that these big businesses come for the little guys — it just happens to be silliness.”