RTC Tenant Sued After Changing Name: Report

RESTON, VA — You may have noticed that "World of Beer" at Reston Town Center changed its name to "Crafthouse" recently. Rest assured, the parent company behind the trademark noticed as well, and they're not happy.

World of Beer, which is based in Florida, is suing local franchisee Evan Matz for allegedly violating the terms of the franchise agreement after he renamed his three locations in Northern Virginia (Fairfax, Ballston, and Reston) to "Crafthouse," according to a report from the Tampa Bay Business Journal.

World of Beer says they sent Matz a formal notice in January warning him about being in default of the agreement, but Matz went ahead with his plans anyway, according to the report. In response, Matz claims that World of Beer's decision to open a location at One Loudoun last year is hurting his Reston location.

“World of Beer Franchise gave permission for the WOB Ashburn to open just eight miles from WOB Reston which WOBF knew that this would cause harm/cannibalization to WOB Reston,” Matz said in a letter that was printed by the Tampa Bay Business Journal. “This is still an ongoing issue and our number dropped 15 percent to 20 percent because of WOB Ashburn opening.”

In the suit, World of Beer is seeking to block Matz and Crafthouse from using their logos, using confidential information, or recruiting employees or customers.

Image: Patch file photo