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Talk of the bay

Another Asian restaurant is recipe for confusion

By SCOTT BARANCIK
Published October 17, 2005

First, there was P.F. Chang's China Bistro, a Scottsdale, Ariz., chain founded by restaurant entrepreneur Paul "P.F." Fleming.

Then there was Paul Lee's Chinese Kitchen, a 50/50 joint venture between Fleming and Outback Steakhouse Inc. of Tampa.

Now there's Pauli Moto's Asian Bistro, a forthcoming chain co-founded by Iron Chef television star Masaharu Morimoto and another "Paul": Paul Ardaji Jr., a former manager at P.F. Chang's Naples location who is known to friends and family as Pauli.

Confused?

"There is some similarity in the name," Ardaji acknowledged last week. "As we heard about (Paul Lee's), we considered renaming, out of fear that people might make a connection between the two, or even possibly think we were copying the name."

Ardaji plans to open his first Pauli Moto's this month in McLean, Va. He hopes to open nine other locations - including Palm Beach Gardens, Naples and Orlando - by 2007, money permitting.

Though he enjoys Paul Lee's and P.F. Chang's "tremendously," Ardaji says it's unlikely his high-end, Japanese-Chinese cuisine restaurant will be confused with them. "If I were to draw a point of reference, Paul Lee's would be Ruby Tuesday's, P.F. Chang's would be (TGI) Fridays and Pauli Moto's would be comparable to a Houston's."

Ouch.

Ardaji also took a swipe at the "Paul Lee's" name, an Asianized version of Fleming's nickname, Pauly. "Wouldn't that be like calling a restaurant in Hong Kong Charlie Jones' American Kitchen?"

Whether Pauli Moto's will benefit from consumer confusion with its competitors remains to be seen. Outback, which has four Paul Lee's restaurants, and P.F. Chang's, which had 121 locations as of July 3, appear unconcerned.

"It is not the first time that a new competitor in the Asian segment has chosen to include "Asian Bistro' or even "China Bistro' in their name," P.F. Chang spokeswoman Laura Cherry said, "and it certainly won't be the last."

A spokeswoman for Paul Lee's owner Outback Steakhouse seemed even more nonchalant about Pauli Moto's.

"Haven't heard of it," Stephanie Amberg said.

[Last modified October 14, 2005, 21:03:02]