Coffee shop announces closure in 'bittersweet update' amid Buc-ee's copyright lawsuit
A pup-friendly Missouri business is closing its doors and starting anew after gas station and convenience store chain Buc-ee's sued the company for copyright infringement.
Barc-ee's announced the closure on April 17 on Facebook, calling it a 'bittersweet update' and a 'new beginning.' According to the company, a new business will be opening its doors and selling bubble tea, coffee, lemonade, and sweets.
'They will be popping up over the next 90 days,' the company wrote. 'Right from the drive-thru at the place formerly known as Barc-ee's … The fight's not over. Our journey has just begun.'
Barc-ee's is based in Marshfield, about 26 miles northeast of Springfield. The company, which sells hot and iced coffee, tea, shakes, as well as burritos and tacos, also hosts classes to teach dogs tricks.
The closure comes after Buc-ee's filed a lawsuit in mid-March against the company, citing trademark infringement, per court documents obtained by USA TODAY.
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In the lawsuit, lawyers for Buc-ee's argue that the Barc-ee's trademark copies parts of the convenience store and gas station chain's font and logo.
Lawyers for Barc-ee's and Buc-ee's did not immediately respond to requests for comment on April 24.
Lawsuit: Barc-ee's name and logo were a 'playful nod' to Buc-ee's
Lawyers argued in the lawsuit that Barc-ee's used the same 'curving word style' that Buc-ee's uses, in addition to a logo similar to the chain's well-known cartoon beaver logo.
Regarding the logo, lawyers for Buc-ee's said the pup-friendly company has adopted a 'colorable imitation of the Buc-ee's Logo.'
Lawyers for Buc-ee's state in the lawsuit that Barc-ee's publicly admitted to getting its inspiration from the chain. According to Buc-ee's, Bar-cee's linked to an article on its website that said the company's inspiration came from 'the well-known Buc-ee's,' calling it 'a playful nod to Buc-ee's.'
Lawyers also argued that the pup-friendly business has misled customers into believing the two companies are related, and also created 'unfair competition.'
The attorneys demanded a jury trial to resolve the matter. They also pushed for the company to cease operations using the Barc-ee's name and logo, as well as money to cover profits the owners made using the logo and name.
Previous lawsuits filed by Buc-ee's
Barc-ee's isn't the only company Buc-ee's has sued. The company has initiated legal action against at least four other companies.
Previous lawsuits or threats of legal action include:
March 2013 (Chicks in Texas) - Buc-ee's sued Texas-based convenience store Chicks and claimed the company's store design, website, product variety, and logo were similar. Chicks' lawyers tried to dismiss the complaint, but Chicks ultimately closed in 2014.
2018 (Choke Canyon in Texas) - Buc-ee's won a federal lawsuit against Choke Canyon, a travel center. A jury found that Choke Canyon's logo looked too much like Buc-ee's logo, per the Houston Chronicle. Choke Canyon changed its logo.
July 2023 (Buk-II's Super Mercado in Mexico) - When an image of the Mexican convenience store went viral on social media, Buc-ee's found out about the company, and rumors swirled that the company would take legal action. Bucee's did not end up suing the store due to it changing its mascot, KABC-TV reported.
January 2025 (Super Fuels in Texas) - Buc-ee's filed a lawsuit against Texas gas station Super Fuels and claimed the Super Fuels' logo is too similar to Buc-ee's.
And in November 2024, the chain filed a federal lawsuit against Duckees, a liquor store in southwest Missouri. In the lawsuit, Buc-ee's claimed Duckees printed a similar logo on its products. The logo contains a yellow circle, and inside the shape is a sunglasses-wearing cartoon duck dressed in a green shirt and red bowtie.
In response to the lawsuit, Duckees denied the allegations and said any alleged infringement was done "in good faith" and the owners had no idea about Buc-ee's trademarks, reported the Springfield News-Leader, part of the USA TODAY Network. The Duckees also said the logos were used in a "geographically remote area' where customers do not know much about Buc-ee's and its logos.
The court was notified of a settlement between April 3 and April 17, the newspaper reported.
Where are Buc-ee's convenience stores located?
Buc-ee's has 51 locations in Texas, Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Missouri, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
The company previously announced plans to expand, including:
Amarillo, Texas: 2025
Brunswick, Georgia: 2025
Rockingham County, Virginia: 2026
Boerne, Texas: 2026
Contributing: James Powel, USA TODAY; Tony Madden and Susan Szuch, Springfield News-Leader
Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Email her at sdmartin@usatoday.com.
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