McDonald's isn't lovin' Little Mac

When Allison Arevalo, a food blogger, and Erin Wade, a lawyer who's a former food critic, opened a specialty restaurant dedicated to that ultimate comfort food, mac & cheese, they decided to name tit Little Mac. Little did they know that the golden arches stretch all the way from the McDonald's corporate office in Illinois to the little hamlet of Berkeley, California.

Wade had even consulted another lawyer to ask if their restaurant's name would infringe on the rights of the worldwide leader of fast-food gluttony, and had been assured that Little Mac was in the clear. "Couldn't be further from McDonald's in that we use artisanal cheeses and local ingredients and our focus is totally local," Arevalo told a reporter.

When Wade made a follow-up call to the McDonald's corporate counsel, though, she was surprised to learn that their restaurant could not use the word "Mac" or "Mc" in its name or logo, for fear of being slapped with a cease-and-desist letter for trademark infringement.

With only 48 hours until their dishes were due to debut at local farmers' markets, Wade and Arevalo decided to hold a "Name Our Restaurant" contest, with the winner getting a lifetime of free mac and cheese -- or at least free mac & cheese until their arteries became clogged with all that artisanal curds and whey.

Maybe Mayor McCheese can judge the contest.