Tahir Mehmet, co-owner of the independent Coffee Studio with two London cafes, faces a legal challenge from Mitchells & Butlers, a FTSE 250 hospitality giant, over his attempt to trademark the slogan 'Eat Drink Work'. The subsidiary Old Kentucky Restaurants opposed the application, arguing it is too similar to their 'Eat Drink Meet' trademark.
David vs Goliath in the coffee shop
Mitchells & Butlers, with revenues of £1.5bn in the first half of the year, over 1,800 venues, and 44,000 employees, dwarfs the Coffee Studio, which employs just 14 people across its Greenwich and Battersea branches. Mehmet, who cofounded the business in 2024, described the situation as daunting but vowed to fight with support from law firm Trade Mark Wizards, whose directors include Lord Alan Sugar.
“When you’re independent, you feel every decision in a way a big company never has to. They have legal teams and budgets built for this,” Mehmet said. “We have a coffee business we’ve poured everything into. So yes, there are moments it feels like standing in front of something far bigger than you, wondering whether you’re mad even to try. But there’s another feeling underneath that one, and it’s stronger: we’re in the right.”
Impact on operations and broader implications
Mehmet noted that the dispute has already delayed merchandise plans, signage design and printing, menu reprints, and business expansion while resources are diverted toward legal costs. If not settled, the case could take two years to reach the intellectual property office tribunal due to backlogs. He framed the fight as one for all small businesses: “If three simple words can be contested, what does that mean for every independent trying to build something of their own? We don’t have a giant’s resources, but we have a community behind us and a clear conscience case we believe in.”
Lord Sugar backed the Coffee Studio, stating: “Small businesses should be able to build their brands without feeling intimidated by the resources of much larger organisations that throw their weight around. Trademark law exists to protect genuine brands and innovation. It should not create an environment where independent businesses feel pressured into abandoning ideas.”
Legal and industry context
Mitchells & Butlers operates an 'Eat Drink Meet' website and app as a restaurant and pub guide. Oliver Oguz, managing director of Trade Mark Wizards, argued: “Our client created the phrase ‘Eat Drink Work’ to describe what people do every day in modern cafes and flexible working spaces. These are ordinary English words used in an ordinary way. We believe this case raises important questions about where legitimate brand protection ends and where overly aggressive enforcement begins.” The Coffee Studio plans to file its defence to Old Kentucky Restaurants this month. Mitchells & Butlers declined to comment.
