KISSIMMEE, Fla. — The Wawa name is huge in Florida and nationwide.
Now the corporate giant is suing a mom and pop restaurant in Kissimmee for using it.
Wawa Curry opened in September 2013 and the owner of the Indian restaurant on Parkway Boulevard in Kissimmee said in his language, “wawa” means "good job".
Yogi Patel said the convenience store is demanding he change the name.
The restaurant’s logo is causing concern for a multi-million dollar business.
It looks nothing like the Wawa convenience store sign, but the company thinks it's close enough.
Patel is getting ready for his first anniversary of opening his business, but he gets to celebrate by changing his restaurant’s name.
The threat of being sued leaves Patel no choice, he said.
Wawa has filed paperwork saying they want him to change his name or battle it out in court.
Patel said he doesn't understand why it's such a big deal.
“Nobody has come here for gas,” Patel said with a laugh.
Wawa has a trademark on that name and Patel could easily lose in court.
“I am not that big to hire an attorney or spend that kind of money,” Patel said.
And so he will quietly change his family business’s name, which means fixing his menus and his website.
The changes will cost him about $500.
He said he still feels it's wrong, but that’s a whole lot cheaper than trying to be right.
“We are different then they are. We didn't know we couldn't use wawa,” Patel said.
Patel says he will be taking down the sign, but it will take a few days for him to figure out what he will rename it.
Channel 9 contacted Wawa's corporate office for a response, but has not heard back.