Kellogg Faces Backlash for Suing Ohio Food Truck as Community Rallies Behind “L’Eggo My Eggroll”

FINDLAY, OH — Kellogg has filed a federal lawsuit against the operators of a northwest Ohio food truck, alleging trademark infringement tied to its well-known Eggo brand. The suit, filed on June 3, claims that “L’Eggo My Eggroll” used a name, color scheme, and font closely resembling Kellogg’s signature branding in a manner that could mislead consumers.

The food truck, which debuted on April 8, 2024, serves eggrolls and hibachi and operates seasonally. Kellogg alleges that the truck’s owners declined an offer of $5,000 to rebrand and instead responded with “threats and demands,” leaving the corporation “no other choice” but to pursue legal action. The lawsuit seeks damages, profit recovery, and an injunction to stop the use of the current branding.

In response, food truck owners Bobby and Gabryel issued a public statement via Facebook earlier today disputing key claims made by Kellogg in the lawsuit. “We would like to clear up a few topics that have been floating around the media that are very untrue false statements,” they wrote. Among their points, they emphasized that they had legal counsel from the beginning, never ignored Kellogg’s outreach, and engaged in what they described as negotiations, not threats.

The owners also stated that they are legally permitted to operate their food truck and intend to continue doing so. “We are legally allowed by law to run and work our truck. This is not an illegal truck and we will do so until otherwise stated by our lawyer,” the post said.

The Facebook post further argued that Kellogg acted unfairly by reaching out during the business’s opening week after winter closure, knowing that the truck was fully booked. “To offer to close us down the week we open was extreme considering full booking,” Gabryel stated.

The owners defended their branding as a “fun play on words,” asserting that the company’s legal formation was established with an attorney. They also rejected the notion that the $5,000 offer was fair compensation for closing down an entire seasonal business. “We also have bills to pay and mouths to feed, as well as employees to pay,” they wrote. “We will not accept corporate bullying.”

Attached to their social media statement was a page from their legal response, in which the food truck’s legal team vehemently denies Kellogg’s allegations in paragraph 32 of the complaint. The filing states, “Negotiations and honest dialogue do not amount to threatening language. Plaintiff’s accusations in paragraph 32 are false, inflammatory and improper.”

The truck’s owners concluded their message by thanking their community for its support and clarifying that they will no longer respond publicly on legal matters per their attorney’s advice. “We will not take this bullying or trolling,” the post said, adding that they will speak to the media in coordination with legal counsel in the coming days.

Kellogg has not yet publicly responded to the statement made by the food truck operators. The case remains pending in U.S. District Court.

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