Café Bavaria in Victor Harbor has been told to change its name or face legal action. The Albert Place café has traded under the name for more than 24 years. It was opened in 1995 by Norbert and Renate Ullrich.

The café’s current owner, Regan Oehlschlager, says he received an email from a Sydney-based law firm last week acting for a private equity group. The group owns a chain of eateries trading as The Bavarians in various locations around the country, including one at Tea Tree Plaza in Adelaide’s north-east.  

Regan says the letter demands that his café stop using the name Café Bavaria as it breaches the group’s trademark.  He says he and his wife, “don’t have the cash, energy or patience to fight this in the federal court and we just want this to go away.”

Regan decided instead to change the name of the café and ask patrons and the public for suggestions. He has offered a $100 voucher to the person who comes up with the new name, or a close approximation.  He also stresses he doesn’t want negative comments about big business, choosing instead to use the issue as a positive.

He does point out however that he feels actions like this should be a reason customers choose to support independently owned, family-run small businesses over giant companies who don’t care about, “anything or anyone apart from their bottom line.”

Some of the suggestions received so far include The Trademark Café, Haflen Café, Stolen Name Café, Whale Tail Café and Wunderlichs Café. Regan says he and his wife have chosen a front runner and are currently checking to see whether it is available to be used.