A Carmichael restaurant – which recently dropped the word ‘Russian’ from its name after the nation invaded Ukraine – has rebranded again to avoid legal issues from an East Coast chain with a name similar.

The former Firebird restaurant closed after receiving a letter from Charlotte, North Carolina-based Firebirds Wood Fired Grill alleging trademark infringement, the owner told The Bee.

“I was really disappointed,” said owner Alexandru Sirbu. “We were trying to do something right, and this restaurant has been around for about 12 years, and no one has said anything about it until now.”

The Eastern European restaurant plans to reopen soon under the name “Noroc”, which means luck in Romanian.

The establishment, formerly known as Firebird Russian Restaurant, was rebranded in March, dropping the word “Russian” after the country invaded Ukraine. He also organized a fundraiser to support Ukrainian refugees, which ultimately raised over $1,600.

On March 22, a lawyer for Firebirds Wood Fired Grill contacted Firebird about its name, shortly after a local television report aired about the restaurant’s upcoming fundraiser, Sirbu said. In the email shared with The Bee, Firebirds International LLC noted that it owns the federally registered trademark for “Firebird” and “Firebirds” and attached the restaurant’s flyer announcing the fundraiser.

The national chain, which operates more than 40 restaurants, mostly on the East Coast, wrote that the local eatery should immediately refrain from using the “Firebird” name or take legal action. The channel then negotiated with Firebird and gave it four months to rebrand, Sirbu said.

“We request that you immediately cease all further use of FIREBIRD and FIREBRD (or any variation thereof) in association with your restaurant and the marketing, sale, distribution or identification of your products or services food online or otherwise,” Nicole Tharrington, general counsel for Firebirds Wood Fired Grill, wrote in the email.

Tharrington and other Firebirds Wood Fired Grill representatives did not return messages left by The Bee. .

“We decided not to fight them because they are big,” Sirbu said. “We decided to just change the name to make it easier for us.”

The East Coast chain did not press charges in Sacramento County.

Sirbu began revising the menu and remodeling his restaurant shortly after the email. He plans to open the restaurant on Tuesday under its new name.

“I think my family and I are lucky because of what happened… I guess that was how it was supposed to be,” Sirbu said. “We see this in a positive light. I try to do good things and people punish you, but we decided this was our chance.

Sirbu, originally from Moldova, also said he wanted to give his restaurant that name to better reflect his heritage and his employees, many of whom hail from the small country bordering Ukraine. He inherited the restaurant in 2018.

The restaurant, located at 4715 Manzanita Ave., will continue to focus on Eastern European cuisine, with a greater focus on Moldovan dishes.

Benjy Egel of The Bee contributed to this story.

This story was originally published May 16, 2022 10:59 a.m.