Comments on: A Cheap Alternative: Top Secret Recipes Unlocked

By: Tiffany

Tiffany — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 13:12:44 +0000

This is an great post, Elizabeth, and Wilbur certainly has a fascinating culinary career and apparently has become quite famous for his work. I feel that Wilbur’s books speak well to these tough economic times, as people are hesitant to spend money on luxuries such as dining out and are searching for innovative ways to cut spending while still enjoying themselves. Obviously, copying recipes isn’t illegal under copyright law, but I feel that Wilbur’s infringements aren’t morally equal in scale. When Americans go out to eat, we pay for the leisure experience of having someone else cook for us, or more often, because we don’t have the time or energy to cook extravagant meals ourselves. Thus, many people would probably much rather pay a whopping $50+ for a Raspberry Chocolate Truffle Cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory on the way to a Saturday night party than sacrifice a morning of sleeping in to make the same, so restaurants’ market share will likely remain unaffected. However, for more “everyday” foods available at the grocery store, such as Heinz ketchup or Mrs. Field’s chocolate chip cookies, that seem much simpler to make, Wilbur’s book might just impact the market, and I think he should have taken this into consideration. Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be a recourse for the affected brands.

By: Caroline

Caroline — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 04:18:41 +0000

That’s a good point, Nina, but even if the chain restaurants etc did have cookbooks or wanted to do something about Todd Wilbur’s cookbook, doesn’t it have to be on the basis of copyright? and if recipes have no copyright, then it cannot take the further action of accusing a market being stolen? I might be reading your comment wrong. But yes, I’d actually like to know Olive Garden’s breadstick and salad dressing recipe..!

By: ninanyc

ninanyc — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 01:59:29 +0000

Sorry to comment again but I was thinking that one of these companies might be able to sue Wilbur if they already have a cookbook for sale -then the book’s arguably crowding out the market. Then again, there could be crowding out of the potential cookbook market as well.

By: ninanyc

ninanyc — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 01:46:46 +0000

Wow, this book sounds amazing (and considering I went to Olive Garden this past weekend -don’t judge me-I can attest to the addictive nature of those unlimited breadsticks)…which leads me to assume that these signature dishes are not copyrighted but rather trade secrets. And since Wilbur didn’t take the actual, official recipe for Heinz ketchup or Krispy Kreme doughnuts, I imagine that they can’t sue him for developing a very similar product. The companies could also assert that Wilbur doesn’t have a “secret ingredient” or use a special cooking process, meaning Heinz and Krispy Kreme and Olive Garden still hold the claims to authenticity (not to mention they all have a strong grasp on the market regardless of how well this book might sell).

Great post!