A restaurant in France has been accused of having striking similarities to an iconic Sydney eatery, with the two sharing almost identical names and branding.
An eagle-eyed social media user noticed the “uncanny” likeness between Merivale’s Totti’s Italian restaurant and an Italian restaurant in Paris called Totti.
“It has come to my attention that we have a doppelganger in our midst,” popular Instagram page @missdoublebay shared.
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“Totti (with no ’s), a (sic) Italian restaurant located in Paris. The like4like is uncanny.
“Merivale, get on standby.”
The Paris location’s tagged photos on Instagram feature several posts from misguided Australian customers who confused the account with the Merivale page, including radio host Jackie O.
Merivale opened its first Totti’s in Bondi in December 2018, however, the Parisian restaurant’s launch date is not clear.
Customer Google reviews date back to November 2022, with patrons describing it as an “excellent new Italian restaurant”.
“Recently opened in our neighbourhood,” another said in February 2023, via an English translation.
Merivale chief executive Justin Hemmes said he was aware of the Paris restaurant.
“Don’t they say ‘imitation is the sincerest form of flattery’? I’m not sure I agree with that,” he told the Sydney Morning Herald.
Some people jumped to the restaurant’s defence, but most could not ignore the similarities.
“Totti is a famous Italian football player’s last name and a common last name, so good luck Merivale lawyers,” one person wrote.
One Australian labelled it a “Wish Totti’s”, while a second said the logo was a “copy paste job”.
“Copy cat Totti’s,” another said.
7NEWS.com.au has contacted Merivale Group and Totti Restaurant for comment.