Entrepreneur Tries To Make Spongebob’s ‘Krusty Krab’ A Real Restaurant, Gets Denied

You know what fictional restaurant I’d love to see come to life? The Krusty Krab, from Spongebob Squarepants. I mean, what 90s child hasn’t dreamed of sinking their teeth into a bonafide Krabby Patty?

Of course, there have been attempts to bring Mr. Krabs’ pride and joy to life before. There is a restaurant in Palestine that’s been open for a while, but no official Krusty Krab exists in the US yet. One restaurateur’s recent attempt to make that happen has sadly fallen short.

Viacom, the media conglomerate that owns and runs Spongebob, won a legal challenge to keep Javier Ramos from using the restaurant’s name for his own seafood chain. According to Reuters, Viacom doesn’t own the trademark for “The Krusty Krab,” which is why this guy and his investor group, IJR Capital Investments LLC, thought they could utilize the name for their restaurants.

The name may have never been filed with the US Patent and Trademark Office, but its usage in countless episodes of Spongebob and associated merch has created an association and “trademark” worth protecting, according to the judges.

Unfortunately, that does kill the restaurateur’s current dreams of having his own Krusty Krab chain. It’s not all lost, however, as Viacom may be willing to license naming rights to the guy to make the restaurants happen. That possibility isn’t outlandish, considering that the media giant does the exact same thing with Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. restaurants, which are associated with the legendary film Forrest Gump.

That makes this legal decision more of a roadblock than a obstacle to keeping a Krusty Krab from opening in the US. Who knows? Maybe Viacom will be willing to let a few open up one day.

Just don’t let Patrick Star run the phone lines.