A Minnesota business owner has agreed to change the name of his restaurants after a lawsuit filed by Taco John's International alleged that the similar name infringed on their trademark, causing confusion among customers.

On Facebook last week, Juan Ramos shared the updated name of his business: Don Chon Mexican Grill, adding that the restaurant is "changing to be better in every way."

Lee Hutton, who served as Ramos' attorney, confirmed that the parties had reached a settlement.

"We're happy that this is over," Hutton said. "My client will move on and we hope that many people in Minnesota will come and visit him and celebrate his new beginnings."

Ramos owns two restaurants formerly called Taco Chon Mexican Grill in Burnsville and St. Cloud. He opened the initial Burnsville restaurant in 2019 to honor his father, who was the chef at the family's street taco business in Mexico, and later added the central Minnesota location. His father's nickname was "Chon," court documents said.

The trouble started nearly two years ago when Taco John's International, which is based in Wyoming and has 370 locations in 23 states, sent a "cease and desist" letter to Ramos. A lawsuit was filed in federal court in April 2022.

In court documents, Taco John's International said that their trademark was "famous and distinctive," had been in use for more than 50 years and was protected by federal law. Taco John's and Taco Chon sell similar menu items and both Taco Chon locations are less than five miles away from a Taco John's, lawyers argued.

In the complaint, Taco John's said that Ramos was "willfully and deliberately" infringing on Taco John's rights. The company wanted an injunction so Ramos would have to stop using the "Taco Chon" name, which it said had caused Taco John's "immediate and irreparable damage."

Hutton argued that the words "Mexican Grill" differentiated the two establishments, signifying that Taco Chon was a restaurant-bar offering formal dining and alcoholic beverages, unlike Taco John's.

Hutton also said that the two restaurant names don't sound similar if "Chon" is pronounced correctly — that is, in Spanish, the two names don't rhyme.

"If you correctly pronounce the name, like an intellectual person would using their capability of speaking multiple languages, we wouldn't even be here in the first place," Hutton said in an interview Thursday.

Hutton noted that there's a Burger Hut and a Burger King and asked whether legal action had been taken in that instance.

Taco John's International, which is owned by Spicy Seasonings, did not respond to a request for comment.

Ramos wrote on Don Chon Mexican Grill's Facebook page that he would be offering several new menu items in the coming weeks and thanked the community for its ongoing support.