Raven’s Soup and Sandwich is deciding on a new name after receiving a letter from lawyers of Carleton about their branding rights for their logo and use of the word “ravens.”
The restaurant, near campus at the corner of Sunnyside Avenue and Seneca Street, was first informed in September 2014 they would have to change their name and branding because of similarities to the school’s mascot.
“They said we have 30 days to change the name and logo. That’s what they want me to do,” said George Awad, the owner of Ravens Soup and Sandwich.
The owner and his sons, Eli and Sam Awad, are thinking of new names, but are waiting to see if the university will help cover the costs of re-branding.
Awad said he is still in talks with the lawyer representing Carleton about receiving financial help. He said the new name will be decided by whether or not Carleton will help with the costs of re-branding.
If they opt not to help, “they’re not going to be happy with the name I’m naming it, that’s for sure,” he said. “Campus—it’ll be a raven’s head with a big ‘C’ on it. That’s the plan.”
The name “Campus” is unregistered with the City of Ottawa and available for use, said Awad.
Awad also said he’s considering changing the sign by adding a letter.
“I can change the ‘e’ in ‘Ravens’ to an ‘a’ or ‘i’, and they can’t do anything about it. Or, I can add a ‘c’ in front of it and call it ‘Cravens.’ It’s the cheapest way to go, to add a letter to the sign,” he said.
“If they don’t like the name Campus, let them pay me and I’ll change it. If they want to pay me to switch the name, I’ll name it Sunnyside Soup and Sandwich,” Awad said.
Chris Cline, Carleton’s media relations officer, said he wasn’t able to discuss the issue as the legal process is still underway.
Awad is seeking $4,500 from the university to help cover the $2,800 he spent on his sign and flyers he couldn’t end up using.
“I had flyers but they said if I sent them out, they would sue me,” Awad said.
This would not be the only added fees for a name change.
“I have to go to the City of Ottawa and pay $500 to change the license and go get new GST number. I need to have a health inspection in here again, and the fire inspection again,” he said.
“Right now, they approved everything under ‘Ravens.’ If I change the name, they have to come back and we need to go through the whole process again,” Awad said.
Either way, Raven’s Soup and Sandwich will have a new name by the end of the month, according to Awad.
