Many Buc-ee stores earn “F” ratings
A previous version of this article incorrectly cited the number of Buc-ee stores that received an “F” rating from the Better Business Bureau. The exact number is 28 as of March 13th.
Buc-ee’s, the Texas-based travel center chain known for its mall-sized stores and barbecue and Beaver products, has sued a small Georgia convenience store for alleged brand infringement.
In a trademark lawsuit filed May 1 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, Buc-ee’s claims that Teddy’s Market, a convenience store with two locations in the state, has copied both its mascot and branding strategies.
Buc-ee’s says Teddy’s built its brand around a smiling cartoon animal that resembles its beaver, according to court records obtained by USA TODAY.
Buc-ee’s also claimed that its Teddy cartoon animal mascot, which resembles a beaver, has white highlights, a black nose, a pink tongue, and bright colors around the mouth, and is arranged within a geometric shape with red accents.
In addition to looking similar, Buc-ee’s claims the two names are too similar.
According to court records, “Buc-ee’s” and “Teddy’s” are two-syllable, six-letter possessives that end in an “eez” sound, and attorneys for the gas station chain argue that they are “likely to cause (to the extent they have not already caused) confusion, error, and deception among consumers in the relevant markets as to the origin, affiliation, and origin of Teddy’s products and services.”
What do the Buc-ees want?
According to the complaint, Buc-ee’s is asking the court to compel Teddy’s to cease using its current brand, destroy any infringing material and turn over any profits made by the brand.
Separately, Buc-ee’s is also asking Teddy’s to pay three times its profits in damages and for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to deny four trademark applications filed by the Georgia-based company in May 2024.
Teddy’s owner and operator Karan Ahuja told CBS News Atlanta that he disagrees with the allegations in the lawsuit and declined further comment due to the pending litigation. As of May 6, online court records do not list a legal representative for Teddy’s Market.
Previous Buc-ee lawsuit
This isn’t the first time Buc-ee’s has sued a company for allegedly copying its famous Beaver mascot and overall brand.
In February, Buc-ee’s sued Kohl’s IP Holdings LLC, owner of the Mickey Mart convenience store and gas station chain in Ohio, for trademark infringement and unfair competition. The logo for Mickey Mart, which has about 42 stores in Ohio, features a cartoon smiling moose inside a red hexagon, according to its website. In Buc-ee’s complaint, the chain claims the animal-like logo closely resembles its own logo, which depicts a toothy beaver wearing a red ball cap inside a bright yellow circle. Buc-ee’s said in court documents that both animals were facing to the right, showing large eyes and smiling faces.
As of May 6, the lawsuit against Kohl’s IP Holdings LLC is ongoing in the Northern District of Ohio, separate from Bucky’s lawsuit against a Missouri-based coffee and food store called Bersee’s for using a similar name and logo. In response to the lawsuit, Barc-ee’s announced that it would close its doors and open a new business in April 2025.
Buc-ee’s is also a chain of Texas-based convenience store Chicks (2013), North Texas gas station Super Fuels (2025), South Texas travel center Choke Canyon (2018), and Mexican convenience store Buk-II’s Super It has filed lawsuits or threatened legal action against various other companies dating back more than a decade, including Marcado (2023) and Missouri-based Duckees (2024).
Contributor: Greta Cross, USA TODAY
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Contact us at fernando.cervantes@usatodayco.com and follow us at X @fern_cerv_.
