[EVG photo from November]
Little Joe's Pizza opened back in November at 26 First Ave. just south of East Second Street.
Upon visiting the pizzeria, the nice folks there said that they previously worked for the venerable Joe's Pizza.
It turned out that Little Joe's owner's husband Sergio worked at Joe's for 13 years … and there wasn't any official connection to Joe's.
So perhaps to clear up any confusion between the two...
On Saturday, an EVG reader received a Facebook notification that Little Joe's had changed its name to Little Gio's …
The change had been made on the pizzeria's website as well…
… and the new sign/awning is in progress…
Little Joe's or Gio's, we like their slices…
Updated 5:44 p.m.
Apparently there was much more to the name change.
Eater reports:
According to Joe's Pizza owner Joe Pozzuoli, Jr. he sent several cease and desist letters to Little Joe's, but all were ignored. "To protect our brand and to limit confusion, we took legal action," Pozzuoli tells Eater, "and the court granted us a preliminary injunction" against Little Joe's. The latter is banned from using the word Joe in "any manner" as it relates to operating a pizzeria, under the threat of having to pony up a $5,000 security bond, in addition to any settlement.
H/T EVG reader Matt!
Previously on EV Grieve:
[Updated] Little Joe's Pizza now serving up slices on 1st Avenue
8 comments:
Nice font.
Now I'm really pissed. They stole my name. Slices better be good.
Good slices!
Maybe it's a tribute to Little Gio in Billy Joel's song "Half a Mile Away."
Slice is good!
Ridiculous.
What if my name is Joe and I want to call my pizzeria "Joe's Better Pizza"?
He's the only guy on earth named Joe who owns a pizzeria?
@anon 11:36
No, but that is clearly not the issue here. If you know anything about Joe's Pizza, you know that Little Joe's signage is a direct rip off and is clearly trying to use the Joe's name brand recognition to trick people into thinking they are somehow affiliated. The fact that the owners of "Little Joe's / Gio's" were employees of the original further proves this point.
I've been coming to little joe's pizza ever since they opened and the pizza its really good.. Someone as big as Famous joe's pizza is really afraid of someone that just starting a business or is the owner mad because his Hispanic employee opened up his own business.. Well the Owner did his part on changing the name to Little Gio's pizza which roomers say MR.Joe still have an issue with that name because he thinks its sounds the same wtheck. you really have to be an a illiterate to say something like that. It just proves that the name wasn't a problem, the issue is that his ex employee opened up a pizzeria in NYC. I fully support Little Gio's and wish them the best of luck! :)
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