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The oldest location of Bud’s Broiler is currently closed amid an ongoing legal dispute between the franchise owner and the burger chain’s parent company, The Advocate reports.
The battle over the Mid City franchise first appeared in the news last week when the “Bud’s” part of its recognizable vintage neon sign was painted over. Yesterday, a Civil District Court judge granted a preliminary injunction against Shannon Prince, the location’s owner, at the request of parent company Bud’s Broiler Holdings. The company filed the injunction to prevent Prince from using the chain’s name or operating a competing business.
Prince reopened the Bud’s by City Park, which closed following Hurricane Katrina, under a franchise agreement in 2009. In October, she filed suit against the parent company that alleged it mismanaged finances and violated franchise territory agreements, forcing her to close a Baton Rouge location she purchased just months after opening.
The chain’s holding company counters that it was Prince who breached their contract by purchasing meat from other companies and trying to re-create the recipe for its signature hickory sauce.
The injunction preventing Prince from operating the Mid City business is currently temporary. The six other addresses of the brand around the New Orleans area remain open.
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