Taco Bell celebrates the liberation of 'Taco Tuesday' with free tacos
Taco Bell is celebrating the liberation of the 'Taco Tuesday" trademark by giving away free tacos on Tuesdays, starting Aug. 15 through Sept. 5.
The "Taco Tuesday" trademark had been owned for more than 40 years by Taco John's, a fast-food chain from Wyoming.
In May, Taco Bell filed a challenge with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, urging the agency to cancel the trademark so that it would be "freely available to all who make, sell, eat and celebrate tacos."
Taco John's announced a couple of months after the filing, that it would abandon the United States Patent and Trademark Office registration for the popular term. CEO Jim Creel said in a statement that paying millions to defend the trademark didn't "feel like the right thing to do."
"To honor the liberation of Taco Tuesday (in 49 states) and to support restaurants who now have the right to freely champion Taco Tuesday, we will be hosting a Taco Tuesday Free-For-All celebration," wrote Taco Bell in its announcement of "Taco Tuesday Free-For-All."
The celebration happens Aug. 15, 22, and 29 and also on Sept. 5. All Taco Bell restaurants (except in New Jersey) will be offering a free Doritos® Locos Tacos. On Sept. 12, Taco Bell said it is funding a $5 million taco tab in partnership with DoorDash, "to cover a portion of taco fans' orders from any participating Mexican restaurant."
New Jersey is not part of the celebration, as there remains one legal challenge to the term "Taco Tuesday." Gregory Hotel, the parent company of Gregory's Restaurant and Bar in New Jersey, has been the holder of the "Taco Tuesday" trademark in New Jersey since 1979, according to its website. Taco Bell in May filed a petition to cancel that trademark as well.
"Taco Bell believes 'Taco Tuesday' should belong to all who make, sell, eat and celebrate tacos," the company said in an earlier statement. "In fact, the very essence of 'Taco Tuesday' is to celebrate the commonality amongst people of all walks of life who come together every week to celebrate something as simple, yet culturally phenomenal, as the taco."