Editorial illustration with rubber-hose style vintage characters about the truce in the Taco Tuesday wars of 2023. Let's taco 'bout it.

​

Restaurant chain Taco John’s said Tuesday it is giving up its fight defending its trademark of the phrase “Taco Tuesday.” Fast-food giant Taco Bell filed a petition in May with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office seeking to cancel the trademark.

​

Taco Tuesday is generic and any restaurant that makes tacos should be able to use it, said Taco Bell, which is owned by Yum Brands.

​

Jim Creel, chief executive of Taco John’s, which operates nearly 400 restaurants in more than 20 states, said the company estimated it could cost as much as $1 million to defend the trademark. “It’s just not worth the amount of money it would take to defend it,” Creel said. “We’d rather take that money and put it toward a good cause.”