A fish and chips restaurant was barred from opening in downtown Vancouver last year because the building’s strata deemed the name Moby Dick offensive, according to a lawsuit challenging the decision.

The franchise eatery was supposed to replace a struggling Asian-fusion restaurant at 550 Denman St., located on the waterfront in Coal Harbour, until the strata corporation refused its permit.

A subsequent lawsuit filed last week by the property owner, Mengfa International Resources, alleges one of the reasons given was that "the word 'Dick' in Moby Dick was an offensive term."

Another location of the restaurant, named for the classic American novel by Herman Melville, has been operating in White Rock since the 1970s.

Mengfa said it responded to the strata by arguing the name is "not offensive to the public given its literary significance and fame," but that the council stood firm on a number of additional issues.

The strata allegedly feared the signage and branding would harm the image of the adjoining properties, depreciating their value, and that odour and fumes might emanate from the eatery.

Mengfa insisted it addressed all of those concerns, promising, among other things, that the kitchen would use a ventilation and exhaust system to prevent a smell, to no avail.

The property owner said a number of different sign proposals were also offered, but all were rejected. The strata allegedly wanted the fish and chips restaurant, which has a cartoon whale and a ship's wheel in the logo, to adopt signage that was "minimalist" in design and colour.

"It was clear… that the strata intended to refuse any signage proposals belonging to Moby Dick which resembled its traditional trademark and brand," the suit claims.

Ultimately, the agreement to lease the space to Moby Dick fell through, and Mengfa said it suffered a loss of rental income. The company's lawsuit calls for damages, for current strata council members to be removed from their roles, and for the Moby Dick proposal to be approved immediately.

None of the allegations in the lawsuit have been proven in court, and the strata has yet to file a statement of defence. CTV News reached out to the council but has yet to hear back.

Lawyers for the strata and the owner of Moby Dick, Yuri Makogonsky, are expected to meet and discuss the situation Wednesday night.

With files from CTV Vancouver's David Molko