Burger War Breaks Out in Birmingham. Lawsuit Filed. Judge Issues Ruling.

When we think of burger wars, we normally think of Burger King, McDonald's and Wendy's.

But this battle is between two local burger joints on Woodward Avenue in Birmingham — the Hunter House and Better Burgers.

It all began when Hunter House, after a dispute with its landlord, recently moved out of the longtime building on Woodward and into a former KFC nearby, across the street.

Better Burgers moved into the Hunter House spot this month and put up no new signage, which Hunter House claims caused confusion. Some customers thought they were at Hunter House.

Now, as a result of a Hunter House lawsuit, an Oakland County Circuit Court judge has ordered Better Burgers to post signage with its name no later than March 2, Crain's Detroit Business reports.

Judge Victoria Valentine ordered Terta Verta Inc., the parent company of Better Burgers, to place “film, paper or other signage” covering “a substantial portion” of the north, east and south windows identifying the name of the new restaurant, Crain's Detroit Business reports.

The lawsuit alleges that Better Burgers tried to cash in on Hunter House's goodwill, with a nearly identical interior, a similar menu and repainting the building in a similar color.