Why the Hammerheads Guys' New Restaurant's Name Changed from Grind House to Game

When news of Hammerheads' co-owners' new restaurant featuring "high-end wild game burgers" first came out in December, the venture was to be called Grind House. Since then, it's been rechristened Game.

Why the change?

Co-owners Adam Burress and Chase Mucerino received a letter from an attorney representing Grind, a gourmet burger truck owned and operated by Jesse and Liz Huot. (Eater Louisville first learned of the lawyer's involvement via a tipster not affiliated with either business.)

"As soon as it [news of Grind House's opening] came out, we got calls and emails congratulating us on our new restaurant," Grind's Jesse Huot said. "The Business First article had it has just 'Grind.' They didn't even have the word 'House.'"

"We've worked really hard on this, to be Grind the burger truck in Louisville. We didn't need the confusion. We would have contacted them, but we're a burger truck. We're not an entity, we don't know," Huot said. "We just contacted an attorney and said 'Can we do something about this?'"

Huot said his lawyer, Alex White of Louisville, called Burress who said he wasn't aware of Grind the burger truck and would change Grind House's name. Then, as a matter of standard practice, White followed up by sending a letter to the Grind House co-owners.

"I wish they would have just contacted us personally," Burress said. "We didn't even know about the truck until an attorney's letter came in saying that they were worried about it."

Burress said as soon as they received the letter, he tried to contact Huot, leaving a message. "I just basically said I'm sorry," Burress said. "We had no problem changing the name," Burress added. "What's a name?"

Huot said Burress's message also said, "Don't be alarmed if more media pops up cause we've put a lot of stuff out there."

"I didn't call him back," Huot said, "because everything I've ever seen on TV said you shouldn't talk to the person you're having issues with. Maybe I should have called him and said 'let's get a beer and hang out.' I don't have any hard feelings. It's just something came up. We work hard on what we do and so do they."

Game is set to open on Feb. 12, per a post on Hammerhead's Facebook page.

In December Burress told Business First that Grind's burgers will be "made with a variety of meats such as wild boar, ostrich, duck, venison, elk and others." The 2,200-square-foot former home of Cycler's Cafe's also required extensive work, Business First reported: "Renovations to the new restaurant include a new bar, new lighting and new kitchen equipment. He [Burress] said the walls would be covered with wood previously used for barns."

[UPDATE Feb. 10, 12:55 p.m. Huot issued a statement on Grind's website that elaborates a bit on his statements to Eater.]

·Looking forward to an elkburger in 2013? Hammerheads' owners will accommodate you at new Grind House on Lexington Road [Insider Louisville]

[Photo: Courtesy Facebook/Grind]