Firestone Public House to change its name as part of settlement with tire company
Firestone Public House will change its name in accordance as part of a settlement agreed to last week with Firestone Tire & Rubber Co., a subsidiary of Tokyo-based giant Bridgestone Corp.
Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. filed a federal civil suit against the downtown Sacramento bar and restaurant in July 2017. In it, the $30 billion Tokyo-based corporation sought financial damages as well as the destruction of all Firestone memorabilia, including signage, menus and coasters.
The Nashville, Tenn.-based tire company argued its trademark was being infringed upon and brand diluted by Firestone Public House. The two sides reached a settlement on Aug. 23, details of which have not been made public.
Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. ran an auto service shop out of a building at 16th and L streets from 1929 to 2004. Firestone Public House opened in the same building — frequently referred to as the “Firestone entertainment complex” — in 2012 after a California Pizza Kitchen went out of business there.
The sports bar is co-owned by the Wong brothers, who also operate Mas Taco Bar, Iron Horse Tavern, Cafeteria 15L and Ma Jong’s Asian Diner, and the de Vere Whites, owners of de Vere’s Irish Pub as well as a bar called The Snug expected to open in the R Street Corridor later this year.
Spokeswoman Jennifer Bulatti told the Sacramento Business Journal that Firestone Public House had up to nine months to change its name. Its menu and concept would not change, she said, though some design elements may be altered.
Firestone Public House isn’t the only business to bear the Firestone name. Firestone Grill in San Luis Obispo also got its name from its building’s former longtime tenant, and the nearby Firestone Walker brewery in Paso Robles was opened by a great-grandson of the tire company’s founder.
The suit took umbrage with several menu items, such as the Firestone Wings, Firestone Chili and Firestone Burger, as well as a beer sampler called the “FPH Flight“ that exclusively consisted of Firestone Walker brews. Similarly-titled foods are served at Firestone Country, founded in Akron, Ohio in 1929 by Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. creator Harvey S. Firestone.
Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. spokesperson Emily Richard did not immediately respond to a request for comment.