Hunter House takes burger opponent to court

The iconic Birmingham business Hunter House Hamburgers, originally located at 35075 Woodward Avenue until it recently moved to the former KFC a mile further down the road, has filed a lawsuit in Oakland County Circuit Court against a hamburger business, Better Burgers, that has moved into the original location for Hunter House, and the judge sided with the owners of Hunter House.

Hunter House, owned by Kelly Cobb, first opened its doors in 1952 and has built a reputation as a popular place for sliders, fries and other foods, located at a prime location at Woodward and Maple Road until its move at the end of October of last year.

Cobb and Hesham Gayar of Select Commercial Assets Hospitality, which owned the land on which Hunter House sat, had been in a dispute over the development of 35001 and 35075 Woodward Avenue for nearly six years. Gayar has proposed a five-story mixed used building that would occupy the two land parcels in addition to the city-owned lot, which was approved by the planning board back in 2021. The lawsuit was settled in February of 2025 and Hunter House made its move and began operations at the new location in November, using temporary facilities on the site until an overhaul of the building is complete this spring.

In recent weeks the original location came back to life with the opening of Better Burgers, owned by Terta Verta, a company in Sterling Height owned by the Plumja family. The owners of Better Burgers reinstalled the familiar signage on the building.

Mikos Plumja is serving as general manager of the new Better Burgers. Although he said he had been advised not to discuss the business details with the media, he confirmed that the family has prior restaurant experience but does not currently own any other establishments. He also said he is uncertain how long they will be able to operate at the location. Better Burgers is currently offering 24-hour service, serving breakfast sandwiches, burgers, hot dogs, grilled cheese, fries and shakes.

On January 27 Hunter House officials sent a cease-and-desist letter to Tarta Verta but received no response. On February 25, Hunter House filed a 62-page lawsuit against Better Burgers, claiming that the new hamburger business is infringing on the trade dress or image developed by the Hunter House which is in the midst of redoing its new building to look like the iconic structure it had occupied for decades.

The lawsuit says that Hunter House has developed a “unique and inherently distinctive” trade dress that includes the white flat-roof building; prominent display of HAMBURGER and CARRYOUT signage on the exterior of the building; a unique interior; and menu.

The legal filing accuses the owners of Better Burger of intentionally confusing the public that it is still the original Hunter House, and provides proof of the confusion by citing phone calls and deliveries that the real Hunter House has received that were intended for Better Burgers.

Owners of Hunter House had asked the court for temporary and permanent injunctive relief plus legal costs and damages.

The case was assigned to Oakland Circuit Court Judge Victoria Valentine who ruled on Thursday, February 26, that the owners of Better Burgers must put up new signage by Friday, February 27, and then by Monday, March 2, must add signage for Better Burgers in the same size as the original Hunter House sign. The judge also said that the company must remove deceptive or confusing social media postings that have said that “We Are Back.”