Worcester restaurant closes, cites barbecue ‘beef’

• Posted by Dining Out February 21, 2020 - Filed in Food & Dining - #Mill Street BBQ  #B.T.'s Smokehouse  #Dining Out  #West Side  #Mill Street  #Park Ave.  - 18,915 views

  Cost of competitor’s lawsuit, rebranding too much for Mill Street BBQ, social media post says

  

  Mill Street BBQ Company, which opened last year as Big T's Mill Street BBQ, announced it will not reopen.

  

  Shortly before noon on Wednesday, Worcester Business Journal broke the news that B.T.’s Smokehouse, a popular barbecue restaurant in Sturbridge, would add a second location at Park Ave. and Chandler Street.

  The 318 Park Ave. location will be called B.T.'s Fried Chicken and BBQ, WBJ reported.

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  A little more than five hours later, in a post on Facebook, another West Side restaurant, Mill Street BBQ Company, announced its official closing.

  While the timing could be coincidental, the restaurants are, in fact, connected. The common thread? A lawsuit.

  The post on the Facebook page of Mill Street BBQ Company reads: “As Many of you know our doors have been closed since Christmas Eve. Our goal was to get re branded/named and open before now With the cost of Lawsuit with our competitor and Re opening was out of our budget. So this marks our official closing.
  "I want to thank the City of Worcester and people from all over Worcester County who supported us the past year!”

  The lawsuit to which the post refers was filed by B.T.’s Smokehouse.

  B.T.’s Smokehouse filed suit against Mill Street Barbecue Company and owner Scott Tefft in Worcester Superior Court on April 30, 2019, according to MassCourts.org, the Mass. trial courts electronic case access system. 

  Tefft filed a counterclaim on May 20. Both cases remain open, according to the online records.

  

  B.T.'s Smokehouse will open at Park Ave. and Chandler Street, previously a D'Angelo's (City of Worcester Photo)

  B.T.’s case against Mill Street Barbecue and Tefft is the only one on record in Worcester with them as defendants, according to the search.

  At issue, at least in part, was the Mill Street’s restaurant original name, Big T’s Mill Street BBQ. Tefft also operated a popular Worcester-area food truck, Big T’s Jerky House.

  On June 6, 2019, Judge Janet Kenton-Walker issued an injunction against the use of “Big T’s”. Her decision on the emergency motion for preliminary injunction reads: “[T]he plaintiff's motion for a preliminary injunction is ALLOWED IN PART as follows: The defendant is preliminarily enjoined from using ‘Big T's’ as part of and/or in reference to the name of the brick and mortar restaurant located at 242 Mill Street in Worcester, including on all sgns, T Shirts, advertising, and other materials related to such restaurant.”

  A complaint for contempt was filed on Oct. 25. On Nov. 1 a hearing was scheduled for Dec. 19. The hearing was subsequently postponed until March 5.

  It would appear the case is now closed.

  Customers of Mill Street BBQ have been very supportive on Facebook, with some highly critical of B.T.’s Smokehouse.

  “The ruthlessness of the competitor, has not gone unnoticed,” one wrote. 

  “Its the guys name. What a lame business owner and desperate move if in fact that is the case. Afraid of competition. Pathetic,” another wrote.

  “Agreeeeeedddddddd none of my family will ever go to B.Ts again,” another wrote.

  “Your competitor's new Worcester location will not be getting any of my business.”

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