Top 10 Ridiculous Knockoff Restaurants
#10: Five Lads
Top 10 Ridiculous Knock-Off Brands
Five Guys Given how Five Guys is a recognizable name across the globe, it’s not a stretch to see where this knockoff gets its inspiration. In the UK, a Five Lads brand of restaurants can be found. As far as knockoffs go, this one seems pretty legit. The change in name is kind of hilarious when you think about it, and their menu seems to offer some classic staples including burgers, wraps, and wings. Their focus, however, is a little more concentrated on chicken as opposed to Five Guys, which offers more options for beef. It’s not the most blatant copycat we’ll find on this list, but certainly a close call.
#9: Dominic's Pizza
Domino's Pizza One of the most common ways a brand can be ripped off is through the mimicking of its logo, or using a name that’s very similar to the original. Dominic’s Pizza is a prime example of using both of these techniques to trick customers. They use a color scheme and layout in their logo that’s nearly identical to the original Domino’s and, with only a couple of letters difference in the name, it would be easy to mistake them for the real deal. Don’t let clever advertising fool you. The Noid doesn’t endorse this one!
#8: Sunny Day
Subway Unlike other entries on this list, the name of this knockoff doesn’t immediately give away who they’re trying to impersonate. It’s not until you see the yellow and white lettering across the green background that it becomes clear. Located in Yemen, this Subway copycat could definitely fool some. The signage is cute, but certainly wreaks of the American sub giant. Even the burger ads in the window use a similar color theme. However, given that Subway sells subs, and not burgers, they may want to consider changing their posters if they’re trying to attract potential Subway customers.
#7: Pizza Hat
Top 20 Pizza Food Chains
Pizza Hut Have you ever noticed that the upper portion of the Pizza Hut logo actually looks like a hat? Well, this copycat restaurant chain certainly did, and they’ve capitalized on it. Known as Pizza Hat, this chain of pizza parlors has taken the original logo but, instead of the little red hut, there is now a man wearing a fedora-style hat. Copy the font and the name (with the exception of that one ‘u’ turned into an ‘a’), and you’ve got yourself the perfect ‘recipe’ for a knockoff. Seeing as they both sell pizza, it’s pretty easy to see how some might think this is merely just a localized franchise of the big chain.
#6: KKFC
KFC What do KKFC, KLG, and KFG all have in common? Yes, they all start with the letter K, but they’re also all knockoffs of Colonel Sanders' famous chicken restaurants. KKFC, or Krispy Krunchy Fried Chicken, is a Nepal-based fried chicken chain that was clearly inspired by America’s famous Kentucky Fried Chicken. A quick glance at their menu and you’d swear you’re looking at one from KFC. Buckets of chicken, chicken burgers and sandwiches, popcorn chicken, and even boxed meals all look strikingly similar to its North American counterpart. The only notable difference here is the chicken in the logo vs Sanders’ iconic face. And the additional K, of course. (Thankfully, they only added one extra K!)
#5: Sunbucks, Star Box Coffee & Others
Starbucks While Pressure Drop Brewing offers a coffee cream porter beer called Buckstar, it’s highly doubtful anyone would mistake this alcoholic drink for any coffee from Starbucks. There exists many, many other restaurant knockoffs with more blatant names, logos, and so on inspired by the Seattle coffee chain. Some examples include Shanghai Starbucks, which simply adds the city it’s located in front of the original name, while Sunbucks Coffee - also in Shanghai - uses a white and green logo, but replaces the American company’s mermaid with a Chinese dragon. Then there’s London’s Star Box Coffee, which reportedly earned Starbucks’ wrath due to the name, but that’s where the similarities end. Meanwhile, Beirut’s Starbox’s logo is blue, but just take a look at it for yourselves.
#4: McDöner Pide (DEUN-er pee-DAY/DEH)
McDonald's Given the popularity of a brand like McDonald’s, it’s a no-brainer that copies would appear here and there. Even the film “Coming to America”, starring Eddie Murphy, had a little fun with it. In the real world however, there have been plenty of imitators out there. One prime example is the McDöner restaurants found in some parts of Europe, such as Poland and Turkey. The resemblance to the original varies depending on the individual spot. Whereas some only mimic the name, others have gone as far as to replicate the famous golden arches. If Mc Döner wasn’t original enough for you, how about Mash Donald’s?!
#3: Burger Friends
Top 20 Best Burger King Menu Items
Burger King Found in Baghdad, Burger Friends is clearly taking aim at copying the Burger King brand. This burger house uses a logo that is virtually identical to the original. With the blue swirl, red text and yellow “bun”, there’s no mistaking what name they’re trying to take. This, of course, isn’t the only instance of imitation. Take this example found in China, which simply prints the title “Cheese Burger” across a logo that is otherwise Burger King’s. This doesn’t seem to be Australia’s Hungry Jack situation either, where the name “Burger King” simply wasn’t available and it’s actually a franchise of Burger King. Although it’s difficult to stay mad at a place with the word “friends” in the name, we’re on to you guys. We know this isn’t the real deal.
#2: Dairy King
Dairy Queen In the world of ice cream monarchies, Dairy Queen has reigned supreme since the mid-20th century. They’ve spread from their humble origins in Illinois, and expanded across the globe with approximately 6,800 stores worldwide. With kings and queens often being associated in pairs, it seems inevitable that someone would open a Dairy King restaurant. Surprisingly, they’re found in several locations across the U.S. and, presumably, rely on the spin of their name to draw in customers. Things could be worse. How about “Dairy Fairy”? Ice cream does taste magical after all!
#1: Donkey Donuts
Dunkin’ Donuts You’re looking for an afternoon treat and have a hankering for a doughnut. Driving down the road, you spot a pink and blue sign with two letter Ds on it and assume you’ve found a Dunkin’ Donuts. Don’t be too sure. This copycat found in Germany leverages a similar name and color scheme as the original, fooling customers into believing they’ve found a classic Dunkin’ Donuts. It’s clearly intentional given the design, but the use of the word “donkey” with donuts just… yeah, that doesn’t sound right. Oddly enough, there’s actually a real Donkey Donuts company that makes donuts specifically for your horses, but they only sell their goods online, so don’t go bringing your horses to coffee shops, ya heard?
