Yeee Ha! Circling the wagons at the Midhurst restaurant

But in the end Pete and his business partner Eddie Surman have decided against a shoot-out and gone for a renaming of their restaurant.

The Western style drama began after Eddie and Pete decided to reopen Pete’s former Picasso’s restaurant as a steakhouse in April this year.

Pete who has run popular Faustino’s for eight years said: “I reopened Picasso’s in 2013 and tried to return it to its former glory as a fine dining restaurant but I am the first to admit it didn’t really work.”

“So we closed it last year. Then I thought about a steak house and mentioned it to my business partner Eddie who runs the embroidery business ‘X-Zony’ with me and he said ‘why don’t we give it a go?’

“My mother came up with the name ‘Stetson’ and Eddie designed our logo with the Stetson hat on the ‘S’ and we opened in April.

“It was really busy all summer and then I thought I ought to start advertising it and get a website and a domain name.”

And that was when the lawmen rode into town.

No sooner had he applied for a domain name than Pete received a letter from American lawyers acting from J B Stetson. They claimed the American had been using the logo for clothing and restaurant services since 1866: ”Given the extensive fame and recognition our client’s marks have achieved we demand you immediately cease and desist all use of Stetson and the Stetson hat logo.”

“We thought it was a bit of a cheek,” said Pete, “we are not even on the same continent and none of us had ever heard of the other Stetson. We thought of circling the wagons and fighting back but in the end we decided it was easier just to rename the place.”

Now Stetson has become Yeee Ha! and the official renaming is on Thursday evening (December 8) with a ‘Yeee Ha! night’.

“It’s still a bar and steakhouse,” said Pete, “but we are hoping to have something for everyone with BT Sport showing all the big sporting events as well as Open Mic nights and quizzes.”

Yeee Ha! is open on Wednesdays and Thursdays for lunch and in the evening and all day until 11pm on Fridays and Saturdays.

Have you checked out our new Christmas section yet?

It’s packed with ideas and tips to ensure you make the most out of the festive season.

There’s recipes, suggestions for presents and everything from choosing your tree to recycling your packaging and paper.

Go to www.midhurstandpetworth.co.uk/christmas/