Monty Dahm, owner of restaurant and brewery Tun Tavern in Atlantic City who was in a legal battle last year over the rights to the name of his establishment, is expanding to Philadelphia.
Dahm recently entered into an agreement to acquire Lucha Cartel, a Mexican restaurant located in the Old City section of Philadelphia. He announced on his website, tuntavern.com, that he will convert Lucha Cartel into a Tun Tavern.
Dahm plans to reach settlement in mid-November and transition operations management before Nov. 10, the 250th birthday of the U.S. Marine Corps. Phase 2 of the transition will commence in 2026 and include a multimillion-dollar renovation.
The building, built in 1970, is located at 207 Chestnut St.
Planned renovations to the 2,419-square-foot building will include adding two additional stories and a new facade. Once complete, the new Tun Tavern will be home to a restaurant, banquet space, museum and area for merchandise that honors the U.S. Marine Corps.
Current Lucha Cartel restaurant employees will be offered positions in the new establishment.
The Tun Tavern’s name holds significance to veterans and specifically Marines as the original Tun Tavern in Philadelphia was where the U.S. Marine Corps was founded in 1775 by Capt. Samuel Nicholas.
Dahm, who had finished a five-year term in the Marine Corps Reserve in 1990, opened the Atlantic City-based Tun Tavern at 2 Convention Blvd. in 1998. He said he licensed the Tun Tavern name in the late 1990s to help preserve and maintain Marine Corps culture.
Montgomery “Monty” Dahm, the owner of the Tun Tavern, finds himself in the middle of a legal fight over the use of his trademark with a Philadelphia-based nonprofit.
The expansion’s redesign will replicate the original Tun Tavern, which was located a block away.
A nonprofit board will be created consisting of Marine and military veterans. A percentage of sales at the restaurant will go toward veterans’ support services.
Last year, Dahm alleged the Tun Tavern Legacy Foundation, a Philadelphia-based nonprofit, filed a trademark for “The Tun” knowing it would interfere with his business and trademark after previously negotiating with him about the licensing of the Tun Tavern.
Dahm obtained licensing rights to the Tun trademark from the Marine Corps Tun Tavern Foundation Inc. and became the official owner of the trademark in 2013 under his company Aljess Inc., according to court filings.
According to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s website, Aljess Inc. successfully registered Tun Tavern on May 6.
Contact John Russo:
609-272-7184
jrusso@pressofac.com
X @ACPress_Russo
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