Special kids get chance to play
Benefit held for crash victim
WSU vs. Milwaukee
Home > Blogs > Taste: Dayton food and restaurants > Archives > 2009 > April > 08 > Entry
Fight over Dominic’s name and recipes heads to federal court
There have been significant developments in the Dominic’s saga that we wrote about three weeks ago.
Here’s are two stories that are scheduled to run in the Dayton Daily News on Thursday, April 9:
DAYTON — The legacy of Dominic’s Restaurant — and control over the recipes behind the dishes once served there — is the subject of a federal lawsuit that pits the widow of the former owner against the founder’s granddaughter.
In the lawsuit filed against Christie Mantia and her business partners in U.S. District Court on Friday, April 3, Anne Mantia claims her stepdaughter has infringed on the Dominic’s trademark. It also alleges that Christie Mantia has engaged in “unfair competition, … fraud, deceit and misrepresentation” in her involvement in a restaurant slated to open soon at 630 E. Dixie Drive in West Carrollton.
The lawsuit contends that if Christie Mantia and the other defendants “are permitted to continue to violate” Anne Mantia’s rights, “damages will likely exceed $2 million.” It seeks monetary damages and a temporary restraining order.
Christie Mantia told the Dayton Daily News on March 17 that the as-yet-unnamed restaurant for which she serves as general manager would serve dishes based on Dominic’s restaurant’s “original recipes” that were handed down to her by her grandmother, the wife of the restaurant’s founder. Dominic’s had been a mainstay of the Dayton dining scene for five decades before it closed in July 2007.
Christie Mantia said she and business partner Reece Powers had no comment on the lawsuit. But renovations are in full swing, and Mantia said the restaurant remains on schedule to open by April 30.
DAYTON — Anne Mantia, who owned Dominic’s at the time it closed in July 2007 and who has released garlic salad dressing and pasta sauce that includes the Dominic’s name on the labels, has filed a federal lawsuit to prevent her stepdaughter — the granddaughter of the restaurant’s founder — and the stepdaughter’s business partners from using the Dominic’s name or claiming a direct connection to its recipes in their new restaurant venture.
The dispute centers on a new, as-yet-unnamed restaurant that is being renovated at 630 E. Dixie Drive in West Carrollton. Christie Mantia, who is the granddaughter of Dominic Mantia, told the Dayton Daily News March 17 that the restaurant has hired Harry Lee, the chef who cooked those dishes at Dominic’s for 25 years between 1980 and 2005, and would be serving “the original recipes” from Dominic’s. The news was welcomed enthusiastically by readers who commented on the story on the newspaper’s web site that they have been waiting for a Dominic’s rebirth. The restaurant and its garlic-laced Italian salad dressing became a mainstay of the Dayton dining scene for more than 50 years and became a pregame and postgame gathering spot for University of Dayton sports fans.
The West Carrollton restaurant is owned by Reece Powers III, the nephew of the founder and owner of Duke’s Golden Ox, which operated for many years near the former Dominic’s on South Main Street near the Montgomery County Fairgrounds. According to records filed with the Ohio Secretary of State’s office, Powers filed articles of incorporation on Feb. 23 for “Dominic’s Restaurant Inc.” in West Carrollton.
Anne Mantia named Christie Mantia, Harry Lee and Powers as defendants in the lawsuit, claiming they have engaged in trademark infringement, fraud and breach of contract.
The lawsuit says Christie Mantia was a former shareholder of Dominic’s but sold her interest and the right to utilize its name in 2005 to Anne Mantia for $460,000 — $285,000 in cash and $175,000 plus interest to be paid before May 2010. A share redemption agreement spelling out the settlement is attached to a portion of the lawsuit that seeks a temporary restraining order against Christie Mantia.
While Anne Mantia never opened a successor to Dominic’s, she told the Dayton Daily News on March 17 that she’d “love to have a Dominic’s-style restaurant in Dayton … I’ve been talking to people for a long time and waiting to see what happens with the economy. If the right opportunity comes along, I’d like to do it.”
An excerpt from the lawsuit states that:
The founder of Dominic’s, Dominic Mantia, opened the restaurant on March 17, 1957, andn along with the help of his won,Dick Mantia, and Dick’s wife, Anne B. Mantia, created a Dayton landmark over the next 50 years. Following the death of Dick Mantia, Anne B. Mantia has continued to guide the company by applying the solid work ethic of Dick and Dominic, and by establishing a Copyright-protected image, and marketing the fine sauces, dressings, and other goods from the original recipes and good will of the family’s restaurant business.
Christie Mantia and Powers declined comment on the lawsuit Wednesday, April 8, as they oversaw renovations and talked with vendors inside the new restaurant. Mantia said the restaurant is on schedule to open by the end of April.
The lawsuit has been assigned to Judge Thomas Rose of the U.S. District Court’s Southern District in Dayton. Online court records suggest that no date has yet been set on a hearing on the temporary restraining order.
Permalink | Comments (75) | Post your comment | Categories: Local restaurant news, Restaurant openings
Tweet
Comments
By Richard Dominic Mantia
December 17, 2010 11:58 AM | Link to this
I am the grandson of the past away dick mantia and the great grandson of dominic mantia. Anne is a horible person! she single handely ruined Dominics name. My father ric m and aunt christie m could basicly run a resturant by them selvs. The recipes will be with my family 4ever im 15 and one day i will open up dominics again!
By Upset
June 9, 2009 5:06 PM | Link to this
THEY HAVEN’T PAID THEIR EMPLOYEES!!! Terrible, terrible people. Every week they would tell us we were getting our checks, but when that day would come..no checks…has been going on every week for the past month. It’s terrible. These employees, along with the graphic design artists, are still waiting to be paid. It’s terrible how they are still withholding our earnings. They are breaking the law…again.
By Laura Zavakos Wood
April 29, 2009 3:00 PM | Link to this
Christie, Fight it as long as you can! Those are your family recipes and you know as well as I do your dad would want you to have them not Anne. You’re friend always!!!!!!
By JeffP
April 19, 2009 8:55 AM | Link to this
Christie Mantia is not infringing on anything. The new restaurant is not going to be called Dominic’s. What is at issue is the use of recipes from the old Dominic’s restaurant. And the courts have already ruled that recipes cannot be copyrighted. The worst think that might happen is the courts will make Christie Mantia change the incorporated name of the company which is not going to be used anywhere inside the restaurant anyway.
By Family friend
April 15, 2009 1:18 PM | Link to this
It might be the law, but it certainly isn’t justice.
By CARMELA SOPRANO
April 13, 2009 11:21 PM | Link to this
I WOULD BE REMISS IF I FAILED TO MENTION MR.SONNY MANTIA.HIS LOVING AND CARING WAYS MADE WORKING FOR DOMINICS A PLEASURE.HE LOVED THE FAMILY BUSINESS AND THE IDEA OF KEEPING IT IN THE FAMILY. I HOPE THAT CHRISTIE OPENS HER RESTAURANT AND NAMES IT [SONNYS MANTIA’S.] ANNIE MOVE ON WITH YOUR LIFE,AND LET DOMINIC CUSTOMERS HAVE SOMETHING TO GET EXCITED ABOUT!
By CARMELA SOPRANO
April 13, 2009 9:15 PM | Link to this
AS A FORMER EMPLOYEE OF DOMINICS I AM SURPRISED THAT CHRISTIE MANTIA IS BEING DEFAMED.SHE IS A LOVELY PERSON WHO TREATS EVERYONE THE SAME,REGARDLESS OF SOCIAL STATUS. ANNIE ON THE OTHER HAND WAS A REPUTED GOLD DIGGER WHO MARRIED INTO THE MANTIA FAMILY.CHRISTIE WAS TREATED LIKE CINDERELLA. THE LAST THING CHRISTIE WANTED TO DO WAS WALK AWAY FROM THE FAMILY BUSINESS.ANNIE MADE IT AN IMPOSSIBLE SITUATION.ANNIE RAISED PRICES,REDUCED PORTIONS AND NOT TO MENTION SACRIFICED THE RECIPES BY BUYING CHEAP INGREDIENTS ALL THE WHILE NEVER WEARING HER THIRD RATE FASHIONS MORE THAN ONCE. IT COSTS A LOT OF MONEY TO LOOK THAT CHEAP. AS A TRUE LOVER OF DOMINICS HOUSE SALAD , IN MY OPINION I DON’T KNOW HOW IN THE WORLD IS ANNIE ALLOWED TO SELL THAT IMPOSTER IN A JAR AND CALL IT DOMINICS SALAD DRESSING? FOLKS THAT TELLS ME THAT SHE DOESN’T CARE ABOUT OUR TASTE BUDS.
By localguy
April 10, 2009 11:16 AM | Link to this
Hey Your Honor, R U a state or fed? Which Court has jurisdiction?
By localguy
April 10, 2009 11:12 AM | Link to this
You blather on as a dodge for the slow pace of ambulance chasing these days. (1) There are no damages. (2) No restaurant has been opened using any trademarks or “secret” recipes. (3) Dick scammed the State. (4) A popular restaurant was ruined. Continue your own Rest-a-rant, but your pronouncements and put-downs mask your own stupidity. Nice try, invoking your respect for the dead to avoid the facts. Blogs are FREE SPEECH vehicles and good luck in rewriting the Constitution.
By YOUR HONOR HIMSELF
April 10, 2009 10:32 AM | Link to this
The Dayton Lawyer is correct. Though I won’t involved in this particular litigation, I’ve dealt with similar cases. Ms. Mantia has received compensation and has a legal obligation which she has clearly violated. I’d advise her to abandon the idea, apologize and opopem as a home cooked family restaurant.. Also she should not use any of her grandfather’s specialty ideas.
By daytonlawyer
April 10, 2009 7:28 AM | Link to this
OK. First, show your ignorance of the law. Trademarks do not have to be “registered” in order to be protected as trademarks. The Dominic’s name, in Dayton area, was protected by openly and notoriously using that mark in the area. As far as the “resipes”, which are actually “recipes,” there is no protection of the receipes under the law, as recipes are not actually protectible under law. The names, methods, and manner of production are, however, and by hiring the chef and the shareholder as business partners and clearly admitting that she intends to use the Dominic’s name, chef, and methods of operation, she has admitted the fact that she is infringing upon the name. As I said, if you would read, she would have been fine opening “Mantia’s,” but she decided to try to take the name that she promised not to use. As far as the “First Amendment,” learn the law, the First Amendment applies to the government, and your right to free speech vis-a-vis the government, not private individuals. Fool. You can still be sued for your defamatory comments. Posting them in a public chat room doesn’t amount to “free speech” which allows you to make comments about people without recourse. As far as Dick, he has no recourse because he is dead. However, shame to those that feel compelled to talk about him, was all I said. Again, Tort, Constitution, etc., if you really know what you are talking about you would know that (1) torts apply to publicly stated comments (defamation), and (2) constitutional law applies to the governmental entities and their actors, not to private citizens. Glad you showed your ignorance?
By zaza2829
April 9, 2009 11:27 PM | Link to this
ok dayton lawyer you need to realize that the resipes at dominics are a trade secret and there is absolutly no way they can prove this restraunt is using the sauce or dressing. and here i have a great i dea how about they call the restraunt mantia’s every one will no what it is
By localguy
April 9, 2009 9:49 PM | Link to this
Dayton Lawyer, wrong on all counts. The name isn’t trademarked by Anne and she herself couldn’t use Dominic’s for her salad dressing being sold at DLM. Anne has to prove damages and there are none. Listen, blogs [if you are an attorney] merit free speech protection, w/o your sanction. Torts 101 or Constitutional Law like the First Amendment, remember?. Look up the probate record on Dick and talk about the State claim for the back taxes he scammed. Anne’s attorney acknowledged that when they had the estate’s value reduced by > 200 grand. The fact remains that a successful restaurant went belly up when the girls took over. Your work load must be slow, if you are policing blogs.
By daytonlawyer
April 9, 2009 9:20 PM | Link to this
OK. To answer the questions asked. Had Christie opened the restaurant originally without making reference to Dominic’s, she probably would have been ok. Instead, her greed caused her to open the restaurant by advertising it as “Dominic’s.” Having done that, sheprobably cannot open the restaurant under a different name. After all, read the blog, several comments are made “we know where the recipes will be served, etc., etc.” Because of that, it is clear that her publication of the Dominic’s name has allowed her to gain an unfair advantage. She sold her right to use the name when she sold her interest in the company. She then cannot go out and use it despite her promise not to use it. Ask it this way: can you announce that you are goinnd to open a Dominio’s Pizza, using Domino’z Pizza recipes, then change the name to Dom’s and hope not to be sued by Domino’s? Itwas a foolish move that obviously was not calculated before the announcement was Shame on those for making such childish comments on here, and for making comments without either (1) knowing what the article stated or (2) not knowing how to read the article as written. For those that made comments about Dick, shame. Speaking ill of the dead? Shame on each of you. Finally, comments about both of the women who ran this restaurant are also not warrented. If you haven’t run something like this, you have no business making comments. You should be embarrassed for your lack of common decency and your lack of intelligence with your assessments.
By Are you Kidding!
April 9, 2009 6:14 PM | Link to this
Dominic(Skinny) & Sue Mantia opened and operated Dominics.. Their son Dick inhereited the bloodsweat of his parents..and went AGAINST his parents Official Last Will and Testiment and left their Family Business to his 3rd wife. It was to be left to ONLY BLOOD FAMILY.. yes 3rd wife…!!!
By Enough is Enough!
April 9, 2009 6:04 PM | Link to this
When something is born a labor of Love, which Dominics was for Skinny & Susie Mantia.. If it looses the INTEGRITY it was born with, it then becomes a BEAST of BURDEN.. Which is what Annie created and gave to Dayton in the end… There are other family members who have the family recipes and would be more than Happy to see them shared with Dayton once again… There are hundreds of Dominics restraunts open around the world…Annie let it go.. You’ve taken enough from the family…
By Vicki
April 9, 2009 3:15 PM | Link to this
Just a suggestion that Paul J. should learn how to spell!
By Susan
April 9, 2009 3:03 PM | Link to this
DDN it’s time to shut this blogging site down. Too many vile,vicious lies being written here by sicko character assasinators ! You know who you all are and your family associations!
By 7's up
April 9, 2009 2:47 PM | Link to this
After Dom died it was like someone was slowly closing the door on the place. The only thing Dick wanted to do was gamble, so his main interest in the restaurant was the money it generated.
By AK
April 9, 2009 1:37 PM | Link to this
If Christie opens the restaurant under a different name and uses the family recipes given to her before Cruella, I mean Ann was even in the picture, is Christie really doing anything illegal Dayton lawyer?
By the Strawboss
April 9, 2009 1:25 PM | Link to this
Last time I went there, there wasn’t a NON smoking section, and the waitress charged me for EVERY refill of my cherry Sprite. Who charges for soda refills?? What’s that set them back, a nickel a glass? No wonder kids are dropping out of school. Wait… what were we talking about?
By JerichoJenny
April 9, 2009 12:50 PM | Link to this
However, she could open up an italian restaurant under a different name and alter the receipes a little. There are few receipes that can not be improved.
By JerichoJenny
April 9, 2009 12:46 PM | Link to this
Christie was paid $460,000 for her shares and she signed away her rights to the receipes and name.
By Densie
April 9, 2009 12:12 PM | Link to this
They’re grandma’s recipes so call it Nona’s and refer to the Mantias or Grandma’s family name. The people who care know the connection.
By R J..Miamisburg, Oh
April 9, 2009 11:28 AM | Link to this
I can’t go open a place and call it McDonalds, Even if it is my last name. I could if I put my first name on it, So why doesn’t this GM or her partners do that. New Dom or Dom Family type on the sign. Now for who ask aboutpayment,DID YOU NOT read the Full Story. It states she has until 2010 to pay the Step Daughter the remaining amout. I say she has no right to the name.
By Bosch's Poodle
April 9, 2009 11:21 AM | Link to this
The last time I ate at Dominics, it tasted like Chef Boyardee. I can’t imagine anybody wanting to keep these recipes.
By Mr.Sumlin
April 9, 2009 10:51 AM | Link to this
There is a Dominic’s restaurant in Savannah,Georgia!!!hmmm..!
By jz
April 9, 2009 10:35 AM | Link to this
I say if you want the customers to come move the new place to The Greene, who cares about downtown or WC. Both of those places are s(t)inkholes. The Greene is packed all the time and dominics would boom there.
By Mr. D'Agostino
April 9, 2009 10:34 AM | Link to this
I could ride into town on a goat with a bag of onions and make better sauce than the Mantia’s ever could. There was an unwritten rule at my sister’s place of employment that if you went to Dominic’s for lunch then you’d better not come back because you’re gonna stink - like A*S! And if anyone wants the “famous” house salad dressing recipe: Find the oldest, nastiest garlic powder that you can, leave it sit out for a week and dump it into some sugared-up white store-brand vinegar. Mix with cheap canola oil. Leave that mixture out on the counter for another week. Chill and serve.
By Truth be told
April 9, 2009 10:09 AM | Link to this
Anne disconnected from the Mantia family when she remarried shortly after Dick’s passing; making her the former “step-mother.” And wicked witch is suitable for her, as she deliberately made Christie’s life hell after Dick and Sonny passed on; interfering with her ability to run Dominic’s as her grandparents and father (Anne’s ex-husband) would have wanted. Sonny ran the restaurant harmoniously with Christie for years. Dominic’s was left 50%/50% to Christie and Anne following Dick’s death, however, Anne’s lack of professionalism and business knowledge made it impossible for Christie to continue to stand by and watch Anne destroy her family legacy that included generations of Mantia family members sacrificing to build success. Christie’s difficult and heartbreaking decision to walk away was her desire to take the high road and escape Anne’s cruelty as well as the hostile situation Anne created by using employee’s as pawns to cause conflict. After Christie and Harry departed, the food suffered because Anne was not in possession of the original recipes Harry prepared for over 25 years and she failed to pay vendors and maintain professional relations with long established business contacts. The last two years Anne cut quality to personally profit and was rude to even the most established regulars, running off business and driving the Dominic’s to close. Anne should have some respect for the Mantia lineage and let Christie keep her grandparents memory alive- but then again respect, dignity, and grace aren’t even in Anne’s vocabulary. All things aside Anne has and is trying to rob Christie of her birthright.
By shellymoe
April 9, 2009 10:05 AM | Link to this
I never ate there. I typically avoid mom & pop shops because they’re often not as clean as I’d like them to be. I find financial-based family feuds (especially after a death) disgusting & a deterrent. My favorite pizza place in Harrison Twp. went through this when 2 sisters wanted to branch out with the business their parents created. There was no will naming a specific child in charge, but one sibling decided she didn’t want her sisters to open a new location & filed suit. What bothered me most was that this same sibling thought it OK to let her own kids run a location in Troy. The sisters still opened a pizza place in Huber, but under a different name. I’ve gone to them ever since they opened.
By wow
April 9, 2009 9:52 AM | Link to this
Hmmm. This wouldn’t be the first time Reece Powers tried to use someone else’s sweat for his own benefit.
By Don
April 9, 2009 9:45 AM | Link to this
Who cares
By tom
April 9, 2009 9:41 AM | Link to this
The kitchen was deplorable.I was at the auction and was appalled at the filfth and grease build up.
By furthermore
April 9, 2009 9:31 AM | Link to this
did Anne ever honor the terms of the contract, by paying the final payment of $175K + interest?? If not the contract may be nullified once that term expires and Chiristie can reclaim the rights to use the name, likeness and anything else she wants…
By Read the fine print
April 9, 2009 9:24 AM | Link to this
Christie is Using the same chef, having a Dominic’s “style” restaurant, and will try to revive some of the recipes… not using the name or the exact receipes, or even intending to use the reputation, but it was thrust upon her by media attention Anne has no case, because she can still open a Domonics in the future and reap the marketing of products when a new generation of Fans are born out of Christies’s restuarant
By Stuck
April 9, 2009 9:20 AM | Link to this
to close? They knew they were closing and still took the money. I should ask for a case of the dressing they are selling on the shelves.
By Stuck
April 9, 2009 9:16 AM | Link to this
I don’t care who owns it. Who is going to make good on the $40 Dominics gift certificate they sold me the week they were
By Ron
April 9, 2009 9:09 AM | Link to this
WOW!!! This sounds like a good way for the new place to get their name out there. Too bad the only winners in this will be the lawyers.
By Old employee
April 9, 2009 8:49 AM | Link to this
3 out of 5 of my sisters have worked for the Mantia family. We were always treated like family. Anna did make “D’s” go down Christie IS family!
By Bob S
April 9, 2009 8:40 AM | Link to this
Well, it is a shame that the bad blood has to come out so really no one can win. I loved Dominic’s personally and would visit any place that Christie opened. I’ll look for here in WC soon.
By Paul J.
April 9, 2009 8:32 AM | Link to this
Bring back the VIRGINIA CAFATERIA on East Third Street. Now there was a place where the cooking was good and the price was right. Replaced by McDonalds and Berger King. From GOOD to Bad in one easy lesson!
By Former Boxer
April 9, 2009 8:30 AM | Link to this
I was one of the boxers who Sonny & Dick sponsored in the mid 1980’s. They always treated me like family. They were the reason why I dined at Dominics. Restuarants
By Paul J.
April 9, 2009 8:24 AM | Link to this
Went to DOMINIC’S back in the seventies and it was nothing but a GREASE PIT. Of course most of you over-sized blimps loved the place. Now your arteries are over sized with coulesterole and that’s only the half of it.
By GG
April 9, 2009 8:21 AM | Link to this
When Christie & Mark were up front, the restaurant was still a family place… great food, great service, family values. Once they left and Anne took over, everything went downhill. You go Christie and we will be there to support you.
By vern
April 9, 2009 7:58 AM | Link to this
we hope that this icon comes back,everybody loves dominics,,,,,,,dayton,dominics,,,,hheeelllllooooo!!!!!
By MJ
April 9, 2009 7:57 AM | Link to this
With all the publicity she could name that restaurant anything and it would draw former customers. How about naming it “Mantia’s” after all that IS her last name.
By Reality
April 9, 2009 7:38 AM | Link to this
Nostalgia always seems to cloud common reality. Dominic’s closed for a reason, the food was absolutely horrible.
By donald tucker
April 9, 2009 7:29 AM | Link to this
Let’s all hope that they can resolve this and bring back a great restaurant. I’m sure Dick would want it that way.
By customer
April 9, 2009 7:21 AM | Link to this
I ate lunch there almost every day for several years. Food and and service was excellent. Sonny was the man. After Dick and Sonny died I went there a couple times it was not the same. I had dinner there before it closed (maybe a year) the food was awful and the peolpe including Anne were rude. Christie is legally wrong. Some tings shoulld never change, but it did.
By Craigster
April 9, 2009 6:42 AM | Link to this
Mr. D’Agostino, YOU SUCK!!! I had been going to Dominic’s since I was a kid, it was a great place to take a family for an affordable dinner.I miss the gfood and of course the salad. The salad dressing you can buy at Dorothy Lane Market is good, but it’s not the same. I can’t wait for the new restraunt to open!
By Mr. D'Agostino
April 9, 2009 3:13 AM | Link to this
What’s the big fuss? Dominic’s had always sucked and I’ve lived here since 1963! I’m surprised that the case isn’t being decided on Springer. The Golden Ox was a dumo too.
By Amy
April 9, 2009 2:14 AM | Link to this
I think that Christie has just as much right as anna does, if not more. Mantia by blood and all. There are christie’s family reciepes not anns
By Martin
April 9, 2009 1:33 AM | Link to this
Okay, so change the name and open the restaurant already. We’ll know what it is and will come hungry and ready to eat!
By Emmett Thornton Beaver
April 9, 2009 1:30 AM | Link to this
How it be the same with no gladiator paintings and nude rome sculptures!
By Sal Monella, former Dom's cook
April 9, 2009 1:03 AM | Link to this
Greed and bad blood. If you all were so concerned about the restaurant, why did you close it and tear it down? Bunch of wealthy phonies.
By Realist
April 9, 2009 12:16 AM | Link to this
With all the “real” problems this country is facing right now, crap like this shouldn’t be court-worthy, much less newsworthy. Regardless, the restaurant will probably be closed within a year - West Camaro-ton is an economic s(t)inkhole.
By Realist
April 9, 2009 12:16 AM | Link to this
With all the “real” problems this country is facing right now, crap like this shouldn’t be court-worthy, much less newsworthy. Regardless, the restaurant will probably be closed within a year - West Camaroton is an economic s(t)inkhole.
By Keeping It Real
April 8, 2009 11:40 PM | Link to this
From my sources I’ve heard that the kitchen was NASTY when it was opened up prior to that auction. Sounds like THE HOUSEWIVES OF DAYTON story plot!
By Daytonlawyer
April 8, 2009 11:09 PM | Link to this
All of the comments on this board about Christie not doing anything wrong are naive. Christie not only signed an agreement giving up her rights to use the name, but also took the name of a popular business for her own use — that is a basic trade mark infringement claim. As far as what Anne wanted to do with the business, that is her business (literally and figuratively). If she didn’t want to do anything, that was her right — even though the comments about her not doing “anything” are inane, since the article spells out the fact that she is selling the sauces and dressings under the name of Dominic’s. Do any
By nyc
April 8, 2009 11:03 PM | Link to this
i ate there and the food was not authentic italian cuisine..as i was accustomed to..so i have no idea what they are fighting about….
By Chris
April 8, 2009 10:45 PM | Link to this
This just sounds like a catfight. And isn’t it too bad that it had to be a “family” fight.
By GladGirl
April 8, 2009 10:40 PM | Link to this
I won’t give Anne a dime of my money. She ran the place into the ground. When Dick died she became down right rude to long time patrons who had been treated like family up to that point. I’m talking people who were loyal to the restaurant for more than 30 years. Christie exhibits the true Italian spirit, a Mantia by blood- not an opportunist.
By Frylock
April 8, 2009 10:32 PM | Link to this
This doesn’t cast Anne Mantia is a positive light at all. In my opinion, she sounds like a wicked witch. Don’t sue me for saying that Anne Mantia! You won’t get nothing.
By kevin
April 8, 2009 10:24 PM | Link to this
I moved from Dayton, but always hit the Pine Club and Dominic’s when I’m back in town. Last time I was in Dominics—shortly before they closed—it was AWFUL. Bad service and horrible food from a place I used to love.
By localguy
April 8, 2009 9:57 PM | Link to this
Good Luck…After Sonny and Dick died, the 2 “girls” ruined a 50 year Dayton tradition in less than 3 years. Neither could run a successful lemonade stand during August.
By SouthernHills
April 8, 2009 9:57 PM | Link to this
Gary,good idea. That would have great.
By BIG Dave
April 8, 2009 9:54 PM | Link to this
The article says that Christie Mantia is just the general manager so she isn’t breaking the law. Reece owns the new restaurant.
By Fazoli
April 8, 2009 9:44 PM | Link to this
So how log has Dominics been closed? A couple of years? seems to me that Anne Mantia hasn’t been in a rush to reopen anything, so i Believe it’s AOK for Christie to open a restuarant - and there is a void for a locally operated place.
By Cugini
April 8, 2009 9:32 PM | Link to this
GO CHRISTIE GO!!!!!
By Susan
April 8, 2009 9:29 PM | Link to this
When you have been paid money for your shares then you sign away your right to use the name of the business, i.e., Dominic’s! Basic law !
By gary
April 8, 2009 9:24 PM | Link to this
Anne or Christie if you wanted to keep it in the area, why didn’t you buy or lease the old NEIL’S restaurant? Thats a landmark, and what the liquor license
By JOhn
April 8, 2009 8:59 PM | Link to this
I’m just glad to see a Dominics comeback!
By Blown Away
April 8, 2009 8:59 PM | Link to this
Saw this one coming…
By Norma
April 8, 2009 8:46 PM | Link to this
OK, whatever! I just hope they work it out! I truly miss my lasagna w/salad w/their dressing!