Teleféric Barcelona filed a lawsuit in December against Macarena, a new Spanish restaurant set to open in downtown Palo Alto, accusing the co-founders of recipe theft and misuse of confidential information.
The lawsuit, filed in Santa Clara County Superior Court, claims Macarena’s co-founders, David Linares and Elisabet Reviriego, former employees at Teleféric, downloaded thousands of proprietary documents before leaving the company. These documents included customer data and marketing materials, which the Padrosa siblings, who own Teleféric, allege were used to help launch Macarena.
In an email response to The Campanile, Macarena denied the allegations.
“Teleféric Barcelona’s allegations are baseless, merely an attempt to stifle competition and hurt our reputation in the press,” the Macarena team wrote. “Our recipes are entirely our own, and we stand by the originality and quality of our culinary creations.”
Teleferic did not respond to multiple requests for an interview.
The lawsuit also alleges Linares and Reviriego deleted confidentiality agreements and used Teleféric-provided contacts. In addition, the Padrosas, the co-founders of Macarena, are accused of using Teleféric’s private data to secure business proposals with high-profile partnerships, such as a contract with the San Jose Sharks for the 2024-2025 NHL season.
The San Jose Sharks did not respond to inquiries regarding the status of the partnership.
Sophomore Lily Liu said the debacle sheds light on competitiveness in the Palo Alto restaurant industry.
“It’s surprising to see such serious legal allegations surrounding something like food,” Liu said. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard of anything like this happening around here before. I’m interested in seeing how it’s going to play out.”
Angela Molyneux, an employee at Sweet 55 in Town and Country, agreed and said the situation may impact hiring practices in the local food service industry.
“It’s going to be hard to trust anybody that works for you,” Molyneux said. “You might even have to get agreements going soon.”
Despite the ongoing lawsuit, Macarena said it will proceed with its launch as planned.
“We remain confident in our values and the steps we’ve taken to launch the restaurant,” Reviriego wrote in the email. “We are excited to serve the Palo Alto community and deliver exceptional experiences for our patrons.”
A case management hearing will be held in July to determine the next steps.