UK pho restaurant that tried to trademark ‘Pho’ hit with renewed criticism

Pho, a white-owned pho restaurant chain with multiple outlets in the U.K., is receiving renewed criticism after TikToker @iamyenlikethemoney recently revisited its trademarking of the word “Pho.”

In 2013, the company asserted its right over the name, forcing Mo Pho, a smaller, Vietnamese-owned business, to scramble for alternative monikers. Amid heavy backlash, Pho said it will not pursue action against Mo Pho.

Owners Stephen and Juliette Wall also explained that they only trademarked “the restaurant name, not the dish” six years prior after they “came under attack by a large U.S. chain restaurant” that sought to enter the U.K. Pho fell into another controversy in 2019 over vegan and gluten-free menu additions that incorporated non-traditional ingredients. “

As a Vietnamese person, every single time I walk past this restaurant, it makes my blood boil,” @iamyenlikethemoney said in her now-viral video.