2nd Avenue Deli Prevails in Heart Attack Grill Lawsuit

2nd Avenue Deli's Instant Heart Attack Sandwich

Heart Attack Grill's Quadruple Bypass

In May 2011 we shared a story of a lawsuit filed against New York's 2nd Avenue Deli by the Heart Attack Grill, a non-kosher Arizona restaurant. The complaint was that the 2nd Avenue Deli stole the names of some of the Heart Attack Grill's most popular sandwiches, the Single, Double, Triple, and Quadruple Bypass Burgers.

According to Reuters, the 2nd Avenue Deli asked a federal judge last year to declare that it had not imitated the Arizona sandwiches by offering an "Instant Heart Attack Sandwich" and "Triple Bypass Sandwich" because the New York creations were kosher and used completely different ingredients.

Last week the judge sided with the 2nd Avenue Deli. As Jonathan Stempel wrote in a Reuters dispatch yesterday:

A federal judge in Manhattan ruled on Thursday that the 2nd Avenue Deli may keep selling its "Instant Heart Attack" sandwich and launch a "Triple Bypass" version, noting clear differences between the deli and the Heart Attack Grill.

The 2nd Avenue Deli's potato pancake- and meat-based sandwiches pose little risk of customer confusion with the Heart Attack Grill, which sells giant cheeseburgers and fries cooked in lard, U.S. District Court Judge Paul Engelmayer said.

The decision is a victory for the 2nd Avenue Deli, which under the threat of litigation in May 2011 had sought a ruling that it did not infringe any Heart Attack Grill trademarks.

Engelmayer said "it is safe to say" even unsophisticated customers could readily differentiate between a Manhattan kosher deli selling latke-based sandwiches and a medically-themed Las Vegas restaurant selling "gluttonous" cheeseburgers.

The judge also noted that the 2nd Avenue Deli, being kosher, cannot serve sandwiches that include both meat and cheese, such as the Triple Bypass burger.

The 2nd Avenue Deli's $24.95 sandwich consists of two potato pancakes, known as latkes, stuffed with corned beef, pastrami, salami or turkey.

"I'm really happy that we were vindicated," said Joshua Lebewohl, co-owner of the 2nd Avenue Deli. "This is a fight that was not of our choosing, and our customers are the true victors."

Following the court decision, he said the Triple Bypass, including three latkes, was to go on sale on Friday for $34.95.

The Heart Attack Grill had conceded during the litigation that the New York deli could be entitled to "limited" use of the disputed names. Engelmayer limited the 2nd Avenue Deli's use of the disputed names to restaurants in Manhattan.

In a statement, the Heart Attack Grill said the decision confirms that it can retain "unbridled use of its trademarks throughout the entire United States."

Lebewohl said his late uncle Abe, who established the 2nd Avenue Deli in 1954 and whose 1996 murder remains unsolved, came up with the idea for the Instant Heart Attack.The case is Lebewohl et al v. Heart Attack Grill LLC et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 11-03153.

It's easy to visualize some pastrami sandwiched betweeen a couple of potato latkes. But it takes some imagination to appreciate the Heart Attack Grill's "quadruple bypass." Here's a video to show what the Las Vegas restaurant serves, free to anyone who weighs more than 350 lbs. Enjoy!

(A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.)