man in front of salad logo
Josh Hedquist at Salad Slayer
I had to get this up before April 1st, because this is not a joke.
Josh Hedquist, the man behind Joey Meatballs, recently launched a fresh salad concept in the Potluck food hall area of Rosedale Mall. The counter-service spot is named Salad Slayer and it offers a roster of fresh salads, made as you choose, with a youthful and edgy vibe. The colors are acid green and hot pink, the mascot is a rocker dude who clearly loves fresh greens which, Hedquist hopes, makes healthier food more appealing to a younger audience.
"Kids love it," Hedquist told me, "They are attracted to the colors and fun vibe, and then they want to know about the salads. It's a way to get kids interested in healthier foods."
The heavy metal band Slayer is not amused.
salad making
Not too soon after the launch of his place on Black Friday, Hedquist was contacted by a lawyer who said he'd been alerted to the existence of the salad shop and that it might be in violation of a trademark* infringement for the band. "At first, he was really nice. And I was actually flattered that the band would even know that we exist! I thought it would be so cool to have the band's support, so I asked if I could make a big pitch to them and have them as investors or just get them to give a shout out. We're not out here making a ton of money, and in fact most of my businesses work to help people on the fringes, who are left behind. What's more metal than that?" Hedquist is on the board of the The Redemption Project, a non-profit that connects formerly incarcerated individuals to housing and employment. More than a few of his current employees are on this path.
He says that the lawyer was a little taken aback by the offer, said he'd relay his response. The next time he heard from the lawyer, just recently, it wasn't so friendly. "More of a cease and desist this time. I get it, but come on man. We're a salad shop in a mall trying to do some good. These old guys have a chance to be relevant to a new generation, help some kids discover healthier options, create jobs for people who are struggling. It's not like Slayer is top of the news cycle anyway, this could be cool for them!"
In fact, the band had their final goodbye tour in 2018.
When you get down to it, sure: the logos are verrrrrrrrrry similar. Hedquist has consulted lawyers and it seems like there might be a case, even though you can't own a word and you can't own a font. If enough people suggest that they think the two brands are linked, there's a case. It's likely going to come down to legal fees, and who has more cash to defend their position.
slayer the band
slayer the salad logo
"I don't know, I'm still hoping that they'll come around and want to be a part of this. But it's going to cost me thousands of dollars if I have to change it. New signage, new uniforms, change all my social handles, that's all just because a heavy metal band doesn't want to be associated with salads?"
Well, I know this is mostly a legal thing, that you have to defend your trademarks to keep them valid. And yet. If I'm a heavy metal band and looking forward to the future, I'm going to invest in salads and redefine what's metal before only the oldies stations play my albums and the most common utterance of my name is: Slayer who?
* UPDATE: I originally called this a copyright issue, which deals with original work, when this is a trademark issue dealing with items that distinguish businesses from each other. Not metal of me at all.
