The Godfather has inspired branding for several generations of pizzeria owners, but a shop in Monroe Township, New Jersey, edged a little too close to the real thing for studio bosses’ comfort, according to media reports.
Now Max D’Amico, owner of The Doughfather, plans to set things right before Paramount Pictures puts out a hit on his restaurant.
The Doughfather’s logo features a font similar to that used in the film’s iconic logo as well as a hand and puppet strings looming above the last five letters. Apparently that was enough to prompt a cease-and-desist letter (actually an email) from attorneys for Paramount Pictures, which owns the rights to the classic film.
The Doughfather’s logo even includes a white silhouette of D’Amico himself against a black background, evoking Marlon Brando in The Godfather’s title role.
D’Amico told journalists recently that he received a letter from Paramount ordering him to change the logo. Never mind that he sees The Doughfather’s logo as a tribute to what he considers “one of the greatest movies ever made.”
“I was seven years old, watching it with the family,” D’Amico told Eyewitness News 7. “Being an immigrant family, we were all watching it. It was fun. It was a great movie. I’ll never forget it. It was a snowy day. We sat there for six hours.”
When the email showed up in his inbox, D’Amico told News 12 New Jersey, “we thought it was a joke. It’s not a joke, it’s for real.”
And it’s the kind of “offer” The Doughfather can’t refuse. “I understand they have their rights,” D’Amico’s wife, Dina Shafran, told News 12 New Jersey. “I apologize. It’s not our intent. It’s really because he’s the master of the dough and [The Godfather is] a movie he loved. And I thought they went hand in hand, and that’s how I came up with [the logo idea].”
D’Amico and Shafran are already hard at working making changes to the logo to appease Paramount Pictures. Other than that, D’Amico said, “Nothing is going to change, just the picture image is going to change.”
To some Doughfather customers, the letter feels a bit like a bullying tactic. “I mean he’s not making money off the font,” Pete Tufano, D’Amico’s friend and customer, said in an interview with Eyewitness News 7. “He’s not making money off the marionette hands. He’s making money off the pizza….I don’t see the conflict, but the law is the law, and Max is a stand-up guy, so he’ll change the emblems and comply with whatever they’re asking.”
The Doughfather offers traditional 12” round pies along with Grandma and Sicilian pizzas and a specialty pie called the Stillwell. The latter, which takes 30 minutes to reach the customer’s table, is described as “a true standout for those craving something with a little more depth. With its thick, perfectly baked crust and generous layers of vibrant toppings, every slice promises a rich and bold taste.”
